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A simplistic method to direct the self-assembly of ZnO nanorods on flat and curved surfaces in hydrothermal synthesis by precoating the substrate with a thin film of aluminum (Al) is reported. The Al is transformed into hydrotalcite-like zinc-aluminum carbonates sheets in the alkali hydrothermal environment that promote a lattice-matched substrate for the growth of highly oriented ZnO nanorods.

The metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) HKUST-1 are used as template to show that NaAl[H.sub.4] nanoclusters as small as eight formula units can be prepared. Simultaneous thermogravimetric modulated beam mass spectrometry have shown that the thermal decomposition mechanism of NaAl[H.sub.4] is complex and has involved processes such as nucleation and growth in addition to the normally assumed two-step chemical decomposition reactions.

The kinetic energy threshold for chemisorption of [N.sub.2] on [Al.sub.100.sup.+] is measured as a function of the nanocluster's temperature from 400 to 790 K. The decrease in the activation energy has resulted from the mobility of the surface atoms on the liquid cluster, which has allowed them to move to a lower energy arrangement as the [N.sub.2] approaches.

Experimental and theoretical studies were conducted to understand the thermal polymerization of both pristine 4-vinylbenzenesulfonic anion (VBS) and intercalated VBS in the two-dimensional gallery of Ni-Al layered double hydroxide (VBS/Ni-Al-LDH). The results provide insight into the arrangement and swelling behavior of guest molecules confined between the sheets of host layers Ni-Al-LDH.

The characterization of thermodynamic properties of neural [Al.sub.n] (2 (less than or equal to) n (less than or equal to) 65) particles which provide insight into size-selective reactivity and catalytic activity of metal nanoparticles is reported.

The thermodynamic properties of Al are calculated for two nonpairwise-additive potentials by using Monte Carlo simulations. The results have shown that the melting point for the embedded-atom model is higher than the experimental value and the embedded-atom (EAM) potential has yielded improved binding energies for smaller clusters, a small fraction of aggregates in the saturated vapor phase, and hence an accurate heat of vaporization and boiling point.

The effect of the isomorphic substitution of silicon by aluminum on the structure of a zeolite cluster constituted by three tetrahedrons, within the framework of the density functional theory (DFT) and the atoms-in-molecules (AIM) theory is presented. The adsorption energy of hydrocarbons on zeolites is much smaller than the adsorption energy of small molecules with strongly polarized bonds, as indicated by the experimental data.

Steaming at high partial pressure generates an Al MAS NMR spectrum that does not show the sharp line due to the octahedrally coordinated framework-related Al-OH. Application of a multinuclear NMR approach shows the presence of framework-related Al-OH groups in steamed zeolite Y samples.

The application of the (super 27)AI multiple-quantum magic angle spinning (MQMAS)NMR experiment to the study of aluminum methylphosphonates is defended. Demonstration of the excellent resolution that can be achieved with a five-quantum version of the experiment and the conclusion that the NMR results on a sample where the thermal transformation from the beta to the alpha polymorph was interrupted before completion do not appear to support the proposition of a topotactic reconstructive transformation is reiterated.

A versatile low-temperature chemical approach utilixing an alkoxide-based hydrazide process was developed for the synthesis of nanometer-size aluminum nitride, oxynitride, and composite powders. This versatile chemical processing strategy developed can also be used to synthesize nanocrystalline nitride and oxynitride of oxophilic elements such as Al.

A study of the local environment of Al atoms in Kaolinite, gibbsite and their mechanochemically treated mixtures by using (super 27)Al NMR spectroscopy to investigate the newly formed chemical species. The mixtures of the clay mineral kaolinite with gibbsite when heated form mullite, a high temperature ceramic.