Abstract:
Methods of mercury decontamination are provided that include: contacting elemental mercury with a metal salt having a standard reduction potential sufficient to oxidize elemental mercury to an aqueous salt of mercury. In other aspects, methods of mercury decontamination are provided that include: contacting the metal surface with a solution comprising a metal salt having a standard reduction potential (E0) of greater than 0.85, thereby oxidizing a mercury contaminant to a soluble mercury salt.
Abstract:
The disclosure relates to an electrode active material including: (a) first particulate of a metal (or metalloid) oxide alloyable with lithium; and (b) second particulate of an oxide containing lithium and the same metal (or metalloid) as that of the metal (or metalloid) oxide, and to a secondary battery including the electrode active material. When the electrode active material is used as an anode active material, reduced amounts of an irreversible phase such as a lithium oxide or a lithium metal oxide are produced during initial charge-discharge of a battery since lithium is already contained in the second particulate before the initial charge-discharge, and thus a dead volume on the side of the cathode can be minimized and a high-capacity battery can be fabricated.
Abstract:
An approach is provided for generating mercury (II) sulfide from elemental mercury. Elemental mercury is injected into a reaction vessel containing vaporized sulfur. The elemental mercury reacts with at least a portion of the vaporized sulfur to form the mercury (II) sulfide.
Abstract:
A method of homogeneously forming metal chalcogenide nanocrystals includes the steps combining a metal source, a chalcogenide source, and at least one solvent at a first temperature to form a liquid comprising assembly, and heating the assembly at a sufficient temperature to initiate nucleation to form a plurality of metal chalcogenide nanocrystals. The plurality of metal chalcogenide nanocrystals are then grown without injection of either the metal source or the chalcogenide source at a temperature at least equal to the sufficient temperature, wherein growth proceeds substantially without nucleation to form a plurality of monodisperse metal chalcogenide nanocrystals. An optional nucleation initiator can help control the final size of the monodisperse crystals. Such synthesis, without the need for precursor injection, is suitable for the industrial preparation of high-quality nanocrystals.
Abstract:
A semiconductor nanocrystal composition comprising a Group V to VI semiconductor material and a method of making same. The method includes synthesizing a semiconductor nanocrystal core, where the synthesizing includes dissolving a Group V to VI anion gas in a first solvent to produce a Group V to VI anion precursor, preparing a cation precursor, and reacting the Group V to VI anion precursor with the cation precursor in the presence of a second solvent. The reacting may occur in a high pressure vessel.
Abstract:
A semiconductor nanocrystal complex including a metal layer formed on the outer surface of a semiconductor nanocrystal core after synthesis of the semiconductor nanocrystal core and a method for preparing a nanocrystal complex comprising forming a metal layer on a semiconductor nanocrystal core after synthesis of the semiconductor nanocrystal core. The metal layer may passivate the surface of the semiconductor nanocrystal core and protect the semiconductor nanocrystal core from the effects of oxidation. Also provided is a semiconductor nanocrystal complex with a shell grown onto the metal layer formed on the semiconductor nanocrystal core. In this embodiment, the metal layer may prevent lattice mismatch between the semiconductor shell and the semiconductor nanocrystal core.
Abstract:
Heavy metal values can be removed and separated from a substance having a suitable amount of the heavy metal values by contacting the substance with a fluid containing sulfur trioxide to prepare a corresponding heavy metal sulfate, which is followed by leaching the sulfate therefrom and separating the leached sulfate. For example, mercury metal, oxide or sulfide, or methyl mercury, such as can be found in used fluorescent lamps and household batteries, in industrial flue sands, fly ash, contaminated soils, etc., can be removed by contact of crushed lamps or batteries, samples of the flue sands, fly ash, or contaminated soils, etc., with a mixture of sulfur trioxide in air to form mercuric sulfate, which is leached with a suitable leaching agent such as water, aqueous hydrochloric acid, hot dilute sulfuric acid, or concentrated sodium chloride solution, and sequestered by use of an ion exchange resin or precipitated as sulfides for further isolation of mercury value.
Abstract:
In this invention sulfide compounds are added to mercury and precious metal-containing carbonaceous ore slurries prior to the slurry being processed by a carbon-in-pulp system. The sulfide compound inhibits the mercury from being adsorbed onto the activated carbon by reacting with the mercury to form mercuric sulfide and by inhibiting the dissolution of mercury from the ore. The mercuric sulfide precipitate displays no activity toward the activated carbon. The sulfiding procedure is performed with a sufficient amount of sulfide-providing compound to provide at least about 30 times the stoichiometric amount of sulfide ions required to react with the mercury in the ore slurry.
Abstract:
Mercury and mercury salts are removed from liquid effluents (which may also comprise muds and inert products in suspension) by reacting the liquid effluents, at a pH of from 9 to 14, with thiourea or a hydroxylamine salt, and subsequently separating the resulting precipitate, together with muds and inert products, if any, by clari-flocculation.