Improving the sustainability of heterogeneous Fenton-based methods for micropollutant abatement by electrochemical coupling.

Advanced oxidation processes such as Fenton reaction-based processes have attracted great interest in recent years as a promising alternative for the removal of persistent pollutants in wastewater. The use of nanocatalysts in advanced oxidation processes overcomes the limitations of homogeneous Fenton processes, where acidic pH values are required, and a large amount of sludge is generated after treatment. Aiming at maximizing the catalytic potential of the process, different configurations include coupling photocatalysis or electrochemistry to Fenton reactions.

Exploiting the Potential of Supported Magnetic Nanomaterials as Fenton-Like Catalysts for Environmental Applications.

In recent years, the application of magnetic nanoparticles as alternative catalysts to conventional Fenton processes has been investigated for the removal of emerging pollutants in wastewater. While this type of catalyst reduces the release of iron hydroxides with the treated effluent, it also presents certain disadvantages, such as slower reaction kinetics associated with the availability of iron and mass transfer limitations. To overcome these drawbacks, the functionalization of the nanocatalyst surface through the addition of coatings such as polyacrylic acid (PAA) and their immobilization on a mesoporous silica matrix (SBA15) can be factors that improve the dispersion and stability of the nanoparticles.

Characterizing the CdSe nanodots in the vicinity of the monolayer covering range.

During the past decade, due to their large number of technological applications, a large number of research studies have been devoted to CdSe nanocrystal (NC) systems. Most of the studies of NC grown on substrates present in the literature correspond to a submonolayer coverage. However, interparticle interactions and, consequently, system morphology and its properties can change at higher coverage regime.

Degradation Study by Start-Up/Shut-Down Cycling of Superhydrophobic Electrosprayed Catalyst Layers Using a Localized Reference Electrode Technique.

Degradation of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) with electrosprayed cathode catalyst layers is investigated during cyclic start-up and shut-down events. The study is carried out within a single cell incorporating an array of reference electrodes that enables measurement of cell current as a function of local cathode potential (localized polarization curves). Accelerated degradation of the cell by start-up/shut-down cycling gives rise to inhomogeneous performance loss, which is more severe close to the gas outlet and occurs predominantly during start-up.

Cl-capped CdSe nanocrystals via in situ generation of chloride anions.

Halide ions cap and stabilize colloidal semiconductor nanocrystal (NC) surfaces allowing for NCs surface interactions that may improve the performance of NC thin film devices such as photo-detectors and/or solar cells. Current ways to introduce halide anions as ligands on surfaces of NCs produced by the hot injection method are based on post-synthetic treatments. In this work we explore the possibility to introduce Cl in the NC ligand shell in situ during the NCs synthesis.