2008 DEC 15 - (VerticalNews.com) -- "An aqueous sol-gel method was developed to synthesize a high temperature stable anatase titania photocatalyst by doping with silica. Doping was achieved in titania by the addition of silica sol prepared from tetra ethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). 1, 2, 5 and 15 mol% silica-titania mixed oxide were prepared and characterised by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, surface area analysis and diffuse reflectance spectra," researchers in Thiruvananthapuram, India report ...read more

  2008 DEC 15 - (VerticalNews.com) -- "Selective oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes or ketones has been investigated over nano Au catalysts using molecular oxygen in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO(2)). TiO2-supported nano Au catalysts prepared by a deposition-precipitation method show unprecedented catalytic performance for selective oxidation of alcohols compared to the other Au catalysts reported so far," scientists in Sendai, Japan report ...read more

  2008 DEC 15 - (VerticalNews.com) -- "We have synthesized S (S4+)-doped TiO2 Photocatalysts having a rutile phase. Rutile S-doped TiO2 photocatalysts loaded with metal ion compounds (Fe3+, Rh3+, Cu2+, Co3+, Ni2+, Cr3+) have also been prepared (S-doped TiO2-Mn+)," researchers in Kitakyushu, Japan report.

  "The metal ions were adsorbed on the surfaces of S-doped TiO2 nanoparticles by impregnation methods (IM) or photodeposition methods (PH). The photocatalytic activities of S-doped TiO2 for oxidation of acetaldehyde in gas phase were drastically improved after adsorbing treatment of metal ions under a wide range of incident light wavelengths. Under photoirradiation at wavelengths longer than 350 or 420 nm, S-doped TiO2-Cu2+ (PH) shows the highest level of activity among the metal ions. S-doped TiO2-Fe3+ (IM) shows the highest level of activity for oxidation of acetaldehyde in gas phase compared to the activity levels of S-doped TiO2 With loading of other metal ions such as Rh3+, Cu2+ Co3+, Ni2+, and Cr3+ under a wide range of incident light Wavelengths. The optimum amount of metal ion compound nanoparticles adsorbed on S-doped TiO2 Was 0.1 wt%. In order to elucidate the role of metal ions adsorbed on the surface of S-doped TiO2, We measured the double beam photoacoustic spectra (DB-PA). The amount of Ti3+ generated as a result of the reaction between Ti4+ and photoexcited electrons was analyzed by this spectroscopy," wrote T. Ohno and colleagues ...read more