High-performance EMI shielding effectiveness of Fe3O4-3D rPC nanocomposites: a systematic optimization in the X-band region

In this work, the microwave absorption (MWA) performance of a Fe3O4-3D reduced porous carbon nanocomposite (3D rPC NC) in the X-band region is reported. Three different shields are fabricated by altering the ratio of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) and 3D rPC and evaluating their microwave (MW) shielding performance with appropriate in-wearing instruments due to their minimum thickness. The chemical interaction between Fe3O4 NPs and 3D rPC is examined from chemical composition analysis of Fe3O4-3D rPC (1 : 2 ratio), which is confirmed by the presence of the Fe-O-C bond in the O 1s spectrum obtained from XPS analysis and subsequent analysis using FESEM images. Furthermore, it is found from N2 adsorption/desorption analysis that 3D rPC possesses a huge surface area of 787.312 m2 g-1 and showcases a type-V isotherm (mesoporous and/or microporous) behavior. The dielectric and magnetic losses of Fe3O4-3D rPC with a 1 : 2 ratio (tan δεr = 1.27 and tan δμr = 5.03) are higher than those of Fe3O4 NPs, 3D rPC and their NCs due to its magnetic and electrical conducting pathways modifying the material's polarization and dipole moment. The lightweight, polymer-free Fe3O4-3D rPC (1 : 2) NCs with minimum thickness on the order of 0.5 mm exhibited a higher total shielding effectiveness (SET = 41.285 dB), and it effectively blocked 99.9963% of the transmittance due to electric and magnetic polarization resulting from the presence of a heterogeneous interface surface.

In Situ and Ex Situ X-ray Diffraction and Small-Angle X-ray Scattering Investigations of the Sol-Gel Synthesis of Fe3N and Fe3C

Iron nitride (Fe₃N) and iron carbide (Fe₃C) nanoparticles can be prepared via sol-gel synthesis. While sol-gel methods are simple, it can be difficult to control the crystalline composition, i.e., to achieve a Rietveld-pure product. In a previous in situ synchrotron study of the sol-gel synthesis of Fe₃N/Fe₃C, we showed that the reaction proceeds as follows: Fe₃O₄ → FeO_x → Fe₃N → Fe₃C. There was considerable overlap between the different phases, but we were unable to ascertain whether this was due to the experimental setup (side-on heating of a quartz capillary which could lead to thermal gradients) or whether individual particle reactions proceed at different rates. In this paper, we use in situ wide- and small-angle X-ray scattering (wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS)) to demonstrate that the overlapping phases are indeed due to variable reaction rates. While the initial oxide nanoparticles have a small range of diameters, the size range expands considerably and very rapidly during the oxide-nitride transition. This has implications for the isolation of Rietveld-pure Fe₃N, and in an extensive laboratory study, we were indeed unable to isolate phase-pure Fe₃N. However, we made the surprising discovery that Rietveld-pure Fe₃C nanoparticles can be produced at 500 °C with a sufficient furnace dwell time. This is considerably lower than the previous reports of the sol-gel synthesis of Fe₃C nanoparticles.

Red Mud as an Efficient, Stable, and Cost-Free Catalyst for COx-Free Hydrogen Production from Ammonia

Red mud, one of the mostly produced industrial wastes, was converted into a catalyst with exceptionally high and stable performance for hydrogen production from ammonia. Results showed that iron species produced after reduction of the HCl digested red mud were converted into ε-Fe₂N during the induction period of ammonia decomposition reaction at 700 °C. The catalytic performance measurements indicated that the modified red mud catalyst provides a record high hydrogen production rate for a non-noble metal catalyst at this temperature. For instance, stable hydrogen production rates were measured as 72 and 196 mmol H₂ min⁻¹ g_cat⁻¹ for the corresponding space velocities of 72 000 and 240 000 cm³ NH₃ h⁻¹ g_cat⁻¹, respectively, at 700 °C. These results offer opportunities to utilize one of the key hazardous industrial wastes as an eco-friendly, efficient, stable, and almost cost-free catalyst for CO_x-free hydrogen production from ammonia decomposition.