Piezocatalytic techniques and materials for degradation of organic pollutants from aqueous solution.

With the rapid development of industry, agriculture, and urbanization, various organic pollutants have accumulated in natural water, posing a potential threat to both the ecological environment and human beings, and removing organic pollutants from water is an urgent priority. Piezoelectric techniques, with the advantages of green, simple operation, and high efficiency, are highly sought after in the degradation of environmental organic pollutants. Moreover, combining piezoelectric techniques with advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), photocatalysis, or electrocatalysis can further effectively promote the efficient degradation of target pollutants.

Advanced porous materials and emerging technologies for radionuclides removal from Fukushima radioactive water.

Japan recently announced the plan to discharge over 1.2 million tons of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, which contained hazardous radionuclides such as Co, Sr, Sb, I, H, Cs, and TcO, etc. The contaminated water will pose an enormous threat to global ecosystems and human health.

Insights into the highly efficient SPR enhanced photodegradation of tetracycline by Bi/BiMoO composites.

A Bi/BiMoO nanocomposite is fabricated utilizing a simple one-pot solvothermal method, which shows great photodegradation ability to tetracycline (TC). The effect of Bi nanoparticles on the photodegradation of TC was investigated, and it is ascribed to the surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) effect. The light energy could be strongly absorbed by the Bi nanoparticles, and then transferred to the adjacent BiMoO, to enhance the photocatalytic performance.