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Abstract: Selenium (Se) supplied in inorganic form (as selenate or selenite) was shown to decrease mercury (Hg) toxicity by forming HgSe in soils as well as in animal and human tissues, while for plants there is no evidence of Hg-Se complexation. Although Se in not an essential element for plants it was shown to counteract various abiotic stresses when applied at trace amounts. The aim of this work was therefore to study physiological responses and Hg speciation in plant/ fungi-animal food chain. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and porcini mushrooms (Boletus edulis) were taken as model plant/ fungal species and Spanish slug (Arion vulgaris) as a model animal species. The plants, fed to the slugs, were grown in HgCl2 contaminated soil or soil from the vicinity of Hg mine in Idrija with traces of HgS and methyl Hg). Physiological parameters of plants and slugs were monitored during the experiment. At the end the biological material was frozen in LN2 and freeze dried. Hg L3-edge (12284 eV) XANES and EXAFS spectra of the biological samples and standards were measured at liquid helium temperature in fluorescence detection mode at the BM30B beamline of the ESRF synchrotron in Grenoble, using the 30-segment germanium solid state detector [1]. The results showed that addition of Se alleviated Hg toxic effects in the food chain started at HgCl2-contaminated soil, while for the soil from Idrija, containing low amounts of highly toxic methyl-Hg, the beneficial effect was less prominent [2]. No Hg-Se complexes were detected in plants, while in mushrooms and slugs the complexation was confirmed. Addition of Se to the plants, however, changed Hg ligand environment in plant tissues from sulphur to nitrogen ligands. Hg and Se both target the -SH functional groups in the plant tissues, so toxic effects of Hg are rather enhanced than alleviated by addition of Se. Nevertheless, the addition of Se to the plants is beneficial for higher trophic levels and lowers Hg toxicity for the primary consumers, the slugs.
Keywords: mercury, toxicity, ligand environment, XANES, EXAFS, food chain, plant, slug, fungi
Published in RUNG: 05.12.2022; Views: 447; Downloads: 0
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Abstract: The electrolysis efficiency is an important aspect of the Power-to-Solid energy storage technology (EST) based on the iron chloride electrochemical cycle [1]. This cycle employs an aqueous FeCl2 catholyte solution for the electro-reduction of iron. The metal iron deposits on the cathode. The energy is stored as a difference in the redox potential of iron species. Hydrogen, as an energy carrier, is released on demand over a fully controlled hydrogen evolution reaction between metallic Fe0 and HCl (aq) [1]. Due to these characteristics, the cycle is suitable for long-term high-capacity and high-power energy storage. In a previous work [2] we revealed that the electrolyte conductivity linearly increases with temperature. Contrary, the correlation between the electrolyte concentration and efficiency is not so straightforward. Unexpectedly small efficiency variations were found between 1 and 2.5 mol dm-3 FeCl2 (aq) followed by an abrupt efficiency drop at higher concentrations. To explain the behavior of the observed trends and elucidate the role of FeCl2 (aq) complex ionic species we performed in situ X-ray absorption studies. We made a dedicated experimental setup, consisting of a tubular oven and PMMA liquid absorption cell, and performed the measurements at the DESY synchrotron P65 beamline. The XAS investigation covered XANES and EXAFS analyses of FeCl2 (aq) at different concentrations (1 - 4 molL-1) and temperatures (25 - 80 °C). We found that at low temperature and low FeCl2 concentration the octahedral first coordination sphere around Fe is occupied by one Cl ion at a distance of 2.33 (±0.02) Å and five water molecules at a distance of 2.095 (±0.005) Å [3]. The structure of the ionic complex gradually changes with an increase in temperature and/or concentration. The apical water molecule is substituted by a chlorine ion to yield a neutral Fe[Cl2(H2O)4]0. The transition from the single charged Fe[Cl(H2O)5]+ to the neutral Fe[Cl2(H2O)4]0 causes a significant drop in the solution conductivity, which well correlates with the existing conductivity models [3]. [1] M. Valant, “Procedure for electric energy storage in solid matter. United States Patent and Trademark Office. Patent No. US20200308715,” Patent No. US20200308715, 2021. [2] U. Luin and M. Valant, “Electrolysis energy efficiency of highly concentrated FeCl2 solutions for power-to-solid energy storage technology,” J. Solid State Electrochem., vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 929–938, Apr. 2022, doi: 10.1007/S10008-022-05132-Y. [3] U. Luin, I. Arčon, and M. Valant, “Structure and Population of Complex Ionic Species in FeCl2 Aqueous Solution by X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy,” Molecules, vol. 27, no. 3, 2022, doi: 10.3390/molecules27030642.
Keywords: Iron chloride electrochemical cycle, Power-to-Solid energy storage, XANES, EXAFS, electrical conductivity, electrolyte complex ionic species structure and population
Published in RUNG: 26.09.2022; Views: 473; Downloads: 0  (1 vote)
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Abstract: X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is a powerful tool for characterisation of local structure and chemical state of selected elements in different new functional materials and biological or environmental samples. The rapid development of extremely bright synchrotron sources of X-ray and ultraviolet light in recent years has opened new possibilities for research of matter at the atomic or molecular level, indispensable in the development of new functional nanostructured materials with desired properties. The lecture will present the possibilities offered by X-ray absorption spectroscopy with synchrotron light for ex-situ and in-situ or operando characterization of various catalyst materials before, after and during their operation. With the operando XANES and EXAFS methods it is possible to track changes in the valence states and local structures of selected elements in various (photo)catalysts, during chemical reactions under controlled reaction conditions, thus gaining insight into the dynamic functional properties and reaction mechanisms of these materials. New synchrotron light sources also opened the possibility of combining X-ray absorption or emission spectroscopy and microscopy with a resolution of up to a few tens of nanometres, allowing micro-XAS analysis with high spatial resolution.
Keywords: XAS, operando XANES, EXAFS, catalysts
Published in RUNG: 01.06.2022; Views: 622; Downloads: 0
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Abstract: Catalyst design is crucial for improving catalytic activity and product selectivity. In a bifunctional Ni/ZSM-5 zeolite type catalyst, catalytic properties are usually tuned via varying Al and Ni contents. While changes in acid properties associated with Al sites are usually closely investigated, Ni phases, however, receive inadequate attention. Herein, we present a systematic structural study of Ni in the Ni/ZSM-5 materials by using Ni K-edge XANES and EXAFS analyses, complemented by XRD and TEM, to resolve the changes in the local environment of Ni species induced by the different Al contents of the parent ZSM-5 prepared by a “green”, template free technique. Ni species in Ni/ZSM-5 exist as NiO crystals (3–50 nm) and as charge compensating Ni2+ cations. The Ni K-edge XANES and EXAFS results enabled the quantification of Ni-containing species. At a low Al to Si ratio (nAl/nSi # 0.04), the NiO nanoparticles predominate in the samples and account for over 65% of Ni phases. However, NiO is outnumbered by Ni2+ cations attached to the zeolite framework in ZSM-5 with a high Al to Si ratio (nAl/nSi ¼ 0.05) due to a higher number of framework negative charges imparted by Al. The obtained results show that the number of highly reducible and active NiO crystals is strongly correlated with the framework Al sites present in ZSM-5 zeolites, which depend greatly on the synthesis conditions. Therefore, this kind of study is beneficial for any further investigation of the catalytic activities of Ni/ZSM-5 and other metal-modified bifunctional catalysts.
Keywords: Ni/ZSM-5 catalysts, zeolite, Ni XANES, EXAFS
Published in RUNG: 11.05.2022; Views: 782; Downloads: 37
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Abstract: A unique material, ceria (CeO2), which is widely applied in automobile exhaust catalysts, is functional due to presence of defects in its crystal structure. Furthermore, the structural defects dictate electrical and chemical properties of ceria. The creation of intrinsic oxygen vacancies in ceria is responsible for oxygen-ion conductivity in solid oxide fuel cells. This unfolds the keen interest in ceria defects. Using the analytical technique cathodoluminescence spectroscopy (CLS) we can characterize ceria for its band gap and the defect states within the band gap. Since CLS has a high spatial resolution, high sensitivity to low concentration of defects and ability to obtain depth resolved information it is an obvious technique of choice. The first part of the thesis is an introduction to the topic and description of the experimental techniques. Importance of ceria as a multifaceted material finding applications in areas spanning from energy production and conversion to biomedical applications is detailed. CLS as a tool to understand defect-related optical properties and advancement in the CL detection systems are discussed. To study the relationship between local structure and its impact on CL emission spectra, an X-ray absorption spectroscopy techniques were used. The X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and the Extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) techniques are summarized. The second part discusses CL emission from ceria. Initially, CL emission from reduced ceria and its dependence on oxygen vacancy concentration are presented. The origin of emission was attributed to different configurations of the oxygen vacancies and polarons. The recent F center description in ceria was adopted here. The intriguing observation of CL emission quenching as a function of oxygen vacancy concentration was explained on the basis of a relative change in population of F centers in ceria. This demonstrated the relevance of local structure for the CL emission in ceria. In order to have a better understanding of the system, La-doped ceria was proposed as a model system. A precise control over the stoichiometry helped to achieve a desired oxygen vacancy concentration. The CL emission behavior, as observed in reduced ceria, was replicated in the case of La-doped ceria and the analysis revealed that F+ centers favor CL emission whereas F0 centers are disadvantageous. The local structure investigation using EXAFS analysis of both cations Ce and La (K-Edge) showed distortion from the fluorite symmetry and corroborated the F center description of oxygen vacancies in ceria. Our results provide an experimental evidence for F center description involving oxygen vacancies and polarons.
Keywords: ceria, cathodoluminescence spectroscopy, local structure distortion, EXAFS analysis, La doped ceria, luminescence quenching, F centers, dissertations
Published in RUNG: 25.11.2021; Views: 1596; Downloads: 101
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