Ochre Bathing of the Bearded Vulture: A Bio-Mimetic Model for Early Humans towards Smell Prevention and Health.

Since primordial times, vultures have been competing with man for animal carcasses. One of these vultures, the once widespread bearded vulture ( Gypaetus barbatus ), has the habit of bathing its polluted feathers and skin in red iron oxide - ochre - tainted water puddles. Why? Primitive man may have tried to find out and may have discovered its advantages.

Bio-Mimetics of Disaster Anticipation-Learning Experience and Key-Challenges.

Anomalies in animal behavior and meteorological phenomena before major earthquakes have been reported throughout history. Bio-mimetics or bionics aims at learning disaster anticipation from animals. Since modern science is reluctant to address this problem an effort has been made to track down the knowledge available to ancient natural philosophers.

Role of nanochemical environments in porous TiO2 in photocurrent efficiency and degradation in dye sensitized solar cells.

Elongated dye sensitized solar cells with a thickness gradient of the nanoporous TiO2 front electrode were used to assess the impact of the layer thickness on photocurrent and degradation. The photocurrent efficiency passes through a maximum (in our case at about 12 microm). Interestingly, the degradation rate also strongly depends on the layer thickness and is about 3 times faster for a 15-microm cell (in comparison with a 1-microm cell).

Kinetic studies on the tensile state of water in trees.

The solar-powered generation and turnover of tensile, cohesive water in trees is described as a kinetic phenomenon of irreversible thermodynamics. A molecular kinetic model for tensile water formation and turnover is presented, which is found to be mathematically equivalent with an autocatalytic reaction (Brusselator). It is also shown to be consistent with the van der Waals equation for real liquid-gas systems, which empirically considers intermolecular forces.

Electrochemical mass spectroscopic and surface photovoltage studies of catalytic water photooxidation by undoped and carbon-doped titania.

Carbon-doped TiO2, demonstrated as an efficient photocatalyst in visible light photooxidation of organic compounds, was prepared with different doping concentrations and investigated via differential electrochemical mass spectroscopy (DEMS) and capacitive surface photovoltage (SPV) measurements in the form of thin layer electrodes. In all cases the total photocurrent as well as the surface photovoltage of the doped materials decreased markedly in relation to the undoped one. No detectable oxygen evolved from the doped electrodes in acidic solution under UV-light excitation.

Photosensitization of nanostructured TiO2 with WS2 quantum sheets.

Porous, nanostructured sol gel TiO2 (100 nm) has been sensitized with WS2 quantum sheets (approximately 5 nm) with the help of chemical bath deposition. The absorber has been characterized with help of energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, and light absorption measurements. The photosensitization was confirmed via electrochemical measurements.

Interfacial activity and leaching patterns of Leptospirillum ferrooxidans on pyrite.

The leaching ability of Leptospirillum ferrooxidans goes beyond the mere oxidation of Fe(2+) to Fe(3+). Addition of these bacteria to pyrite triggers interfacial phenomena that lead to bacterial attachment and local forms of corrosion (surface pitting). As the leaching process proceeds, bacterial cells undergo changes, characterized by the release of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and the uptake and storage of electro-dense nanoparticles.