Sol-gel synthesis of TiO on CoO-coated sporopollenin exine microcapsules (SECs) and photocatalytic performance of new semiconductor heterojunction material.

In this study, a new approach was developed to prepare mesoporous hybrid TiO/CoO coated on Juglans sporopollenin exine microcapsules (SECs). TiO was synthesized on CoO-coated SECs used as substrate, by sol-gel method. The obtained semiconductor/semiconductor hetero-junction hybrid materials were characterized with X-ray diffractometry (XRD), UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size distribution, specific surface area, and zeta potential measurements.

Different Plant Sporopollenin Exine Capsules and Their Multifunctional Usage.

Sporopollenin exine capsules (SECs) are highly resistant to heat and various acids and bases. They are also cheap, highly porous, eco-friendly polymer biomaterials with stable microencapsulation capacity. Due to their strong and uniquely shaped exine layers, they can allow growth on metal oxide materials, as a biotemplate for use in different applications.

Sporopollenin for High-Performance Supercapacitor Electrode Design.

Recently, plant pollen has been used as a source of activated carbon to produce carbon-containing supercapacitor electrodes. However, in this study, pollen was used as a biotemplate with a completely different approach. As a biotemplate, pollen offers a wide range of varieties in terms of exterior, porosity, shape, and size.