Magnetic Nanoparticles in Biopolymer Fibers: Fabrication Techniques and Characterization Methods.

Hybrid nanocomposites combining biopolymer fibers incorporated with nanoparticles (NPs) have received increasing attention due to their remarkable characteristics. Inorganic NPs are typically chosen for their properties, such as magnetism and thermal or electrical conductivity, for example. Meanwhile, the biopolymer fiber component is a backbone, and could act as a support structure for the NPs.

Comparative Performance of Citrate, Borohydride, Hydroxylamine and β-Cyclodextrin Silver Sols for Detecting Ibuprofen and Caffeine Pollutants by Means of Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.

The detection of emerging contaminants in the aquatic environment, such as ibuprofen and caffeine, was studied by means of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) using Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized with β-cyclodextrin (βCD) as a reducing agent. The effect on the SERS signal of different molar ratios of Ag/βCD in the synthesis route and the aging process of AgNPs were investigated by using trans-cinnamic as a test molecule. The SERS effectiveness of these β-cyclodextrin colloids (Ag@βCD) was also checked and compared with that of other silver sols usually employed in SERS synthesized by using other reducing agents such as citrate, borohydride and hydroxylamine.

Localized surface plasmon resonance enhanced photocatalysis: an experimental and theoretical mechanistic investigation.

Titanium dioxide (TiO) is an advantageous material in catalytic photodegradation due to its low cost, high stability, and considerably higher efficiency when compared to other semiconductors. However, the need for artificial radiation sources in the UV range is a limitation to its use in wastewater remediation. In this context, Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) has been shown to enhance the photoexcitation of charge carriers in the semiconductor.