Experimental and computational analysis of SnS encapsulated into carbonized chitosan as electrode material for potassium ion batteries.

Tin sulphide compounds (SnS, x = 1, 2) are potential anode materials for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) due to their characteristic layered structure, high theoretical capacity, non-toxicity and low production cost. However, they suffer from significant volume changes resulting in poor performance of such anodes. In this work incorporation of SnS into the carbon structure was expected to overcome these disadvantages.

A robust Fe-based heterogeneous photocatalyst for the visible-light-mediated selective reduction of an impure CO stream.

The transformation of CO into value-added products from an impure CO stream, such as flue gas or exhaust gas, directly contributes to the principle of carbon capture and utilization (CCU). Thus, we have developed a robust iron-based heterogeneous photocatalyst that can convert the exhaust gas from the car into CO with an exceptional production rate of 145 μmol g h. We characterized this photocatalyst by PXRD, XPS, ssNMR, EXAFS, XANES, HR-TEM, and further provided mechanistic experiments, and multi-scale/level computational studies.

Spherical Lignin-Derived Activated Carbons for the Adsorption of Phenol from Aqueous Media.

In this work, a synthesis and activation path, which enabled the preparation of spherical activated carbon from a lignin precursor, characterized by high adsorption capacity in the removal of phenolic compounds from water, was successfully developed. Two industrial by-products, i.e.

Covalent bonding of N-hydroxyphthalimide on mesoporous silica for catalytic aerobic oxidation of p-xylene at atmospheric pressure.

The surface of SBA-15 mesoporous silica was modified by N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) moieties acting as immobilized active species for aerobic oxidation of alkylaromatic hydrocarbons. The incorporation was carried out by four original approaches: the grafting-from and grafting-onto techniques, using the presence of surface silanols enabling the formation of particularly stable O-Si-C bonds between the silica support and the organic modifier. The strategies involving the Heck coupling led to the formation of NHPI groups separated from the SiO surface by a vinyl linker, while one of the developed modification paths based on the grafting of an appropriate organosilane coupling agent resulted in the active phase devoid of this structural element.

Abiotic weathering of plastic: Experimental contributions towards understanding the formation of microplastics and other plastic related particulate pollutants.

The increasing use of plastic (synthetic polymers) results in the release of uncontrollable amounts of synthetic materials into the environment through waste, infrastructure, and essential goods. As plastic materials undergo weathering, a complex process unfolds, leading to the formation of pollutants, notably microplastics. This study employs multiple instrumental methods to explore the intricate abiotic degradation of the five most commonly used synthetic polymers in environmentally relevant conditions.

An Atomically Dispersed Mn-Photocatalyst for Generating Hydrogen Peroxide from Seawater via the Water Oxidation Reaction (WOR).

In this work, we have fabricated an aryl amino-substituted graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) catalyst with atomically dispersed Mn capable of generating hydrogen peroxide (HO) directly from seawater. This new catalyst exhibited excellent reactivity, obtaining up to 2230 μM HO in 7 h from alkaline water and up to 1800 μM from seawater under identical conditions. More importantly, the catalyst was quickly recovered for subsequent reuse without appreciable loss in performance.

Electrochemical Sensing of Pb and Cd Ions with the Use of Electrode Modified with Carbon-Covered Halloysite and Carbon Nanotubes.

A novel voltammetric method for the sensitive and selective determination of cadmium and lead ions using screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) modified with carbon-deposited natural halloysite (C_Hal) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was developed. The electrochemical properties of the proposed sensor were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV), while the morphology and structure were established by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). A two-factorial central composite design (CCD) was employed to select the composition of the nanocomposite modifying the electrode surface.

Modulation of ODH Propane Selectivity by Zeolite Support Desilication: Vanadium Species Anchored to Al-Rich Shell as Crucial Active Sites.

The commercially available zeolite HY and its desilicated analogue were subjected to a classical wet impregnation procedure with NHVO to produce catalysts differentiated in acidic and redox properties. Various spectroscopic techniques (in situ probe molecules adsorption and time-resolved propane transformation FT-IR studies, XAS, V MAS NMR, and 2D COS UV-vis) were employed to study speciation, local coordination, and reducibility of the vanadium species introduced into the hierarchical faujasite zeolite. The acid-based redox properties of V centres were linked to catalytic activity in the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane.

Lignin-Supported Heterogeneous Photocatalyst for the Direct Generation of HO from Seawater.

The development of smart and sustainable photocatalysts is in high priority for the synthesis of HO because the global demand for HO is sharply rising. Currently, the global market share for HO is around 4 billion US$ and is expected to grow by about 5.2 billion US$ by 2026.

Cyclic metal(oid) clusters control platinum-catalysed hydrosilylation reactions: from soluble to zeolite and MOF catalysts.

The Pt-catalysed addition of silanes to functional groups such as alkenes, alkynes, carbonyls and alcohols, the hydrosilylation reaction, is a fundamental transformation in industrial and academic chemistry, often claimed as the most important application of Pt catalysts in solution. However, the exact nature of the Pt active species and its mechanism of action is not well understood yet, particularly regarding regioselectivity. Here, experimental and computational studies together with an graphical method show that the hydroaddition of alkynes proceeds through Pt-Si-H clusters of 3-5 atoms (metal(oid) association) in parts per million amounts (ppm), which decrease the energy of the transition state and direct the regioselectivity of the reaction.

In Search of Factors Determining Activity of CoO Nanoparticles Dispersed in Partially Exfoliated Montmorillonite Structure.

The paper discusses a formation of Mt-PAA composite containing a natural montmorillonite structure partially exfoliated by poly(acrylic acid) introduced through intercalation polymerization of acrylic acid. Mt-PAA was subsequently modified by controlled adsorption of Co ions. The presence of aluminosilicate packets (clay) and carboxyl groups (hydrogel) led to the deposition of significant amounts of Co ions, which after calcination formed the CoO spinel particles.

Graphitic nitrogen in carbon catalysts is important for the reduction of nitrite as revealed by naturally abundant N NMR spectroscopy.

Metal-free nitrogen-doped carbon is considered as a green functional material, but the structural determination of the atomic positions of nitrogen remains challenging. We recently demonstrated that directly-excited solid state 15N NMR (ssNMR) spectroscopy is a powerful tool for the determination of such positions in N-doped carbon at natural 15N isotope abundance. Here we report a green chemistry approach for the synthesis of N-doped carbon using cellulose as a precursor, and a study of the catalytic properties and atomic structures of the related catalyst.

LignoPhot: Conversion of hydrolysis lignin into the photoactive hybrid lignin/BiOBr/BiOBr composite for simultaneous dyes oxidation and Co and Ni recycling.

Valorization of lignin is still an open question and lignin has therefore remained an underutilized biomaterial. This situation is even more pronounced for hydrolysis lignin, which is characterized by a highly condensed and excessively cross-linked structure. We demonstrate the synthesis of photoactive lignin/BiOBr/BiOBr bio-inorganic composites consisting of a lignin substrate that is coated by semiconducting nanosheets.

Tailoring Properties of Resol Resin-Derived Spherical Carbons for Adsorption of Phenol from Aqueous Solution.

The polycondensation of resorcinol and formaldehyde in a water-ethanol mixture using the adapted Stöber method was used to obtain resol resins. An optimization of synthesis conditions and the use of an appropriate stabilizer (e.g.

Structural Properties of NdTiON and Its Application as Photoanode.

Mixed-anion inorganic compounds offer diverse functionalities as a function of the different physicochemical characteristics of the secondary anion. The quaternary metal oxynitrides, which originate from substituting oxygen anions (O) in a parent oxide by nitrogen (N), are encouraging candidates for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting because of their suitable and adjustable narrow band gap and relative negative conduction band (CB) edge. Given the known photochemical activity of LaTiON, we investigated the paramagnetic counterpart NdTiON.

Sensibilization of p-NiO with ZnSe/CdS and CdS/ZnSe quantum dots for photoelectrochemical water reduction.

Core/shell quantum dots (QDs) paired with semiconductor photocathodes for water reduction have rarely been implemented so far. We demonstrate the integration of ZnSe/CdS and CdS/ZnSe QDs with porous p-type NiO photocathodes for water reduction. The QDs demonstrate appreciable enhancement in water-reduction efficiency, as compared with the bare NiO.

Towards plant-mediated chemistry - Au nanoparticles obtained using aqueous extract of Rosa damascena and their biological activity in vitro.

An eco-friendly, efficient, and controlled synthesis of gold nanoparticles with application of the aqueous extract of Rosa damascena (Au@RD NPs) without using any other reducing agents was studied. Au@RD NPs of narrow size distribution were characterized by UV-vis and FT-IR spectroscopies, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, particle size analysis, and zeta potential measurements. In vitro stability experiments revealed that the Au@RD NPs were stable for over a year (pH ~ 3.

Semi-transparent quaternary oxynitride photoanodes on GaN underlayers.

Conformal atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique is employed to make semi-transparent TaON, providing the possibility to build semi-transparent oxy(nitride) heterojunction photoanodes on conductive substrates. A generalized approach was developed to manufacture semi-transparent quaternary metal oxynitrides on conductive substrates beyond semi-transparent binary TaN photoanodes aiming for wireless tandem photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells.

Metathetic synthesis of lead cyanamide as a p-type semiconductor.

Lead cyanamide PbNCN was synthesized by solid-state metathesis between PbCl2 and Na2NCN in a 1 : 1 molar ratio, and its structure was confirmed from Rietveld refinement of X-ray data. Electronic-structure calculations of HSE06 density-functional type reveal PbNCN to be an indirect semiconductor with a band gap of 2.4 eV, in remarkable quantitative agreement with the measured value.

Tailoring the Surface Properties of BiONCN by Activation for Augmented Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation on WO and CuWO Heterojunction Photoanodes.

Bismuth(III) oxide-carbodiimide (BiONCN) has been recently discovered as a novel mixed-anion semiconductor, which is structurally related to bismuth oxides and oxysulfides. Given the structural versatility of these layered structures, we investigated the unexplored photochemical properties of the target compound for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation. Although BiONCN does not generate a noticeable photocurrent as a single photoabsorber, the fabrication of heterojunctions with the WO thin film electrode shows an upsurge of current density from 0.

: Hybrid Cellulose-Bismuth Oxybromide Membrane for Pollutant Removal.

The simultaneous removal of organic and inorganic pollutants from wastewater is a complex challenge and requires usually several sequential processes. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of a hybrid material that can fulfill both tasks: (i) the adsorption of metal ions due to the negative surface charge, and (ii) photocatalytic decomposition of organic compounds. The bioinorganic hybrid membrane consists of cellulose fibers to ensure mechanical stability and of BiOBr/BiOBr nanosheets.

NiO/Poly(4-alkylthiazole) Hybrid Interface for Promoting Spatial Charge Separation in Photoelectrochemical Water Reduction.

Conjugated polymers are emerging as alternatives to inorganic semiconductors for the photoelectrochemical water splitting. Herein, semi-transparent poly(4-alkylthiazole) layers with different trialkylsilyloxymethyl (RSiOCH-) side chains (PTzTNB, R = -butyl; PTzTHX, R = -hexyl) are applied to functionalize NiO thin films to build hybrid photocathodes. The hybrid interface allows for the effective spatial separation of the photoexcited carriers.

Successful Immobilization of Lanthanides Doped TiO on Inert Foam for Repeatable Hydrogen Generation from Aqueous Ammonia.

We describe the successful possibility of the immobilization of a photocatalyst on foam, which is beneficial from a practical point of view. An immobilized photocatalyst is possible for use in a continuous experiment and can be easily separated from the reactor after the reaction concludes. Parent TiO, La/TiO, and Nd/TiO photocatalysts (containing 0.

Increased photocurrent of CuWO photoanodes by modification with the oxide carbodiimide SnO(NCN).

Tin(ii) oxide carbodiimide is a novel prospective semiconductor material with a band gap of 2.1 eV and lies chemically between metal oxides and metal carbodiimides. We report on the photochemical properties of this oxide carbodiimide and apply the material to form a heterojunction with CuWO thin films for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation.