Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Junko N Kondo.
Ordered mesoporous transition metal oxides were successfully crystallized after strengthening the amorphous framework by a silica layer, which efficiently protected the original mesoporous structure against crystallization and resulting mass transfer.
The production of diesel from vegetable oil calls for an efficient solid catalyst to make the process fully ecologically friendly. Here we describe the preparation of such a catalyst from common, inexpensive sugars. This high-performance catalyst, which consists of stable sulphonated amorphous carbon, is recyclable and its activity markedly exceeds that of other solid acid catalysts tested for 'biodiesel' production.
The reaction dynamics of trans-2-butene adsorbed to acidic hydroxyl groups on the surface of ferrierite zeolite is examined by time-resolved spectroscopy using a tunable infrared picosecond pulse laser system. The transient absorption spectra measured by a two-color pump-probe technique at 188-243 K reveal bleaching and hot bands of the OD stretching mode 2 ps after excitation. This vibrationally excited state relaxes within 20 ps at 188 K, while the bleaching band includes a long-lifetime component that lasts for more than 100 ps at 243 K. Thus, the OD (isotope-exchanged hydroxy groups) stretching band does not entirely recover in this period and is mirrored by an analogous weakening of the CH bending band of the adsorbed trans-2-butene. Simultaneously, three new bands in CH stretching region were observed at 3045, 3095, and 3130 cm(-1). This result suggests the presence of a short-lived intermediate formed by reaction between the acidic hydroxyl groups and adsorbed trans-2-butene.
Acid-catalyzed ethanol dehydration on zeolite is shown to proceed via a covalent ethoxy group (C2H5O) as a stable intermediate, which was directly observed by IR spectroscopy.
Germanium nitride beta-Ge3N4 dispersed with RuO2 nanoparticles is presented as the first example of a non-oxide photocatalyst for the stoichiometric decomposition of H2O into H2 and O2. All of the successful photocatalysts developed for overall water splitting over the past 30 years have been based on oxides of metals. The discovery of a non-oxide photocatalyst, such as nitrides and oxynitrides, achieving the same function is therefore expected to stimulate research on non-oxide photocatalysts. New opportunities for progress in the development of visible light-driven photocatalysis can thus be expected, as the higher valence band positions of metal nitrides compared to the corresponding metal oxides provide narrower band gaps, which are suitable for visible light activity.
The adsorption of alkanes and alkenes on zeolites is investigated by comparing the adsorption characteristics for three types of zeolite: ferrierite, ZSM-5, and mordenite. The activation energy for the diffusion of propane and n-butane on ferrierite and the heat of adsorption of C(2)-C(4) alkanes and alkenes on zeolites and silica are estimated based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and the diffusion processes in the micropores are elucidated by comparing the results with previously reported activation energies for n-butene diffusion. The adsorption of 1-butene on mordenite is also examined. The structure and process of experimentally observable adsorption is found to differ depending on the type of zeolite and adsorbing molecule, reflecting differences in the sizes of molecules and pores. This differing behavior is utilized to interpret the elementary adsorption processes of alkanes and alkenes on zeolites.
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H2 evolution on TaON photocatalyst under visible light irradiation (420 nm < or = lambda < or = 500 nm) in an aqueous methanol solution is found to be remarkably enhanced by adding Ru as a noble-metal co-catalyst.
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Two-dimensional metal oxide sheets in HTiNbO(5) and HSr(2)Nb(3)O(10), cation-exchangeable layered metal oxides, were examined as solid acid catalysts. Exfoliation of HTiNbO(5) and HSr(2)Nb(3)O(10) in aqueous solutions formed colloidal single-crystal TiNbO(5)(-) and Sr(2)Nb(3)O(10)(-) nanosheets, which precipitated under an acidic condition to form aggregates of HTiNbO(5) nanosheets and HSr(2)Nb(3)O(10) nanosheets. Although esterification of acetic acid, cracking of cumene, and dehydration of 2-propanol were not catalyzed by original HTiNbO(5) because of the narrow interlayer distance, which prevents the insertion of organic molecules, HTiNbO(5) nanosheets functioned as a strong solid acid catalyst for the reactions. Nanosheets of HSr(2)Nb(3)O(10) exhibited no or slight catalytic activity for these reactions. NH(3) temperature-programmed desorption and (1)H magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that HTiNbO(5) nanosheets have strong Brønsted acid sites, whereas HSr(2)Nb(3)O(10) nanosheets do not.
A Ti-based oxysulfide, Sm(2)Ti(2)S(2)O(5), was studied as a visible light-driven photocatalyst. Under visible light (440 nm < or = lambda < or = 650 nm) irradiation, Sm(2)Ti(2)S(2)O(5) with a band gap of approximately 2 eV evolved H(2) or O(2) from aqueous solutions containing a sacrificial electron donor (Na(2)S-Na(2)SO(3) or methanol) or acceptor (Ag(+)) without any noticeable degradation. This oxysulfide is, therefore, a stable photocatalyst with strong reduction and oxidation abilities under visible-light irradiation. The electronic band structure of Sm(2)Ti(2)S(2)O(5) was calculated using the plane-wave-based density functional theory (DFT) program. It was elucidated that the S3p orbitals constitute the upper part of the valence band and these orbitals make an essential contribution to the small band gap energy. The conduction and valence bands' positions of Sm(2)Ti(2)S(2)O(5) were also determined by electrochemical measurements. It indicated that conduction and valence bands were found to have satisfactory potentials for the reduction of H(+) to H(2) and the oxidation of H(2)O to O(2) at pH = 8. This is consistent with the results of the photocatalytic reactions.
Three-dimensionally ordered mesoporous niobium oxide was prepared by a neutral templating route with the addition of a trace amount of cations, which have 5- and 2-nm pore diameter and wall thickness, respectively.
Under visible light irradiation (lambda = 420-500 nm), a tantalum oxynitride, TaON, functions as a stable and very efficient photocatalyst for oxidation of water into O2 with a sacrificial electron acceptor (Ag+).