Recent developments on advanced materials for photonics, sensing and energy conversion energy applications (AMPSECA'2021).

We are honored to present this special issue of the Environmental Science and Pollution Research which comprises the selected papers presented at the international conference on Advanced Materials for Photonics, Sensing and Energy Conversion Energy Applications, held in Marrakech, Morocco.

Two-dimensional layered carbon-based catalytic ozonation for water purification: Rational design of catalysts and an in-depth understanding of the interfacial reaction mechanism.

This review renewed insight into the existing complex and contradictory mechanisms of catalytic ozonation by two-dimensional layered carbon-based materials (2D-LCMs) for degradation toxic refractory organics in aqueous solution. Migration and capture of active electrons are central to catalytic ozonation reactions, which was not studied or reviewed more clearly. Based on this perspective, the catalytic ozonation potential of 2D-LCMs synthesized by numerous methods is firstly contrasted to guide the design of subsequent carbon based-catalysts, and not limited to 2D-LCMs.

Ti-Modified LaFeO/β-SiC Alveolar Foams as Immobilized Dual Catalysts with Combined Photo-Fenton and Photocatalytic Activity.

Ti-modified LaFeO/β-SiC alveolar foams were used as immobilized, highly robust dual catalysts with combined photocatalytic wet peroxide oxidation and photocatalytic activity under UV-A light. They were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation of a β-SiC foam support, by implementing a sol-gel Pechini synthesis at the foam surface in the presence of dried amorphous sol-gel titania as a titanium source. The physicochemical and catalytic features suggest the stabilization at the foam surface of a substituted LaTiFeO catalyst analogous to its powdery counterpart.

Activity enhancement pathways in LaFeO@TiO heterojunction photocatalysts for visible and solar light driven degradation of myclobutanil pesticide in water.

LaFeO@TiO heterojunction composites with a core-shell porous structure and LaFeO contents in the 2.5-25 wt.% range have been synthesized via consecutive sol-gel syntheses and tested for the photocatalytic oxidation of the myclobutanil pesticide in water under solar light and pure visible light.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Myclobutanil and Its Commercial Formulation with TiO₂ P25 in Slurry and TiO₂/-SiC Foams.

Viticulture is one of the crops most subject to pest control by fungicides. Their drainage towards the fresh water affects the aquatic environment, the fauna, the flora and especially the human health. It is therefore necessary to find an adequate solution to solve this problem.

Coating-free TiO@β-SiC alveolar foams as a ready-to-use composite photocatalyst with tunable adsorption properties for water treatment.

Coating-free TiO@β-SiC photocatalytic composite foams gathered within a ready-to-use shell/core alveolar medium the photocatalytically active TiO phase and the β-SiC foam structure were prepared a multi-step shape memory synthesis (SMS) replica method. They were fabricated following a sequential two-step carburization approach, in which an external TiC skin was synthesized at the surface of a β-SiC skeleton foam obtained from a pre-shaped polyurethane foam during a first carburization step. The adsorption behaviour of the shell/core TiO@β-SiC composite foams towards the Diuron pollutant in water was tuned by submitting the carbide foams to a final calcination treatment within the 550-700 °C temperature range.

Kinetics and mechanism of Paraquat's degradation: UV-C photolysis vs UV-C photocatalysis with TiO/SiC foams.

In this study, the photolytic and photocatalytic removal of the herbicide paraquat is investigated under UV-C (254 nm). For photocatalytic experiments, SiC foams were used with P25-TiO nanoparticles deposited by dip-coating. The foams were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and paraquat's degradation under UV-C photolysis or photocatalysis, followed by UV-vis spectroscopy, total organic carbon analyzer, LC-MS and ion chromatography.

Removal of atrazine and its by-products from water using electrochemical advanced oxidation processes.

Atrazine (ATZ) is one of the most common pesticides detected in surface water in Quebec (Canada). The present study was mainly focused on the degradation of ATZ and its by-products using electrochemical advanced oxidation processes such as photo-electro-Fenton (PEF), electro-Fenton (EF) and anodic-oxidation with simultaneous HO formation (AO - HO). The comparison of these processes showed that PEF process was found to be the most effective process in removing ATZ and its by-products from both synthetic solution (ATZ = 100 μg L) and real agricultural surface water enriched with ATZ (ATZ = 10 μg L).

Effect of W doping level on TiO on the photocatalytic degradation of Diuron.

In the present study, three compositions of W-doped titania nano-photocatalyst are synthesized via the sol-gel method. The powders obtained were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic performances of the different photocatalysts are tested with respect to the degradation of Diuron in water solutions under simulated solar light and visible light irradiation.

Nitrogen-containing organic compounds: Origins, toxicity and conditions of their photocatalytic mineralization over TiO.

Sustainable water management remains a global concern to meet the food needs of industrial and agricultural activities. Therefore, pollution abatement techniques, cheap and environmentally, are highly desired and recommended. The present review is devoted to the origin and the toxicity of nitrogen-containing organic compounds in water.

Sol-gel synthesis of TiO nanoparticles: effect of Pluronic P123 on particle's morphology and photocatalytic degradation of paraquat.

We report a facile method to tune TiO nanoparticles' morphology by modifying and an acid-catalyzed sol-gel synthesis with Pluronic P123. Synthesized particles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, BET analysis, and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. XRD analysis revealed a high anatase content while BET measurements showed that porous volume strongly depends on the amount of P123.

Degradation of atrazine in aqueous solution with electrophotocatalytic process using TiO2-x photoanode.

The present study investigates the efficiency of a sustainable treatment technology, the electrophotocatalytic (EPC) process using innovative photoanode TiO2-x prepared by a magnetron sputter deposition process to remove the herbicide atrazine (ATZ) from water. The coexistence of anatase and rutile were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the presence of oxygen vacancies reduce the value of the observed bandgap to 3.0 eV compared to the typical 3.

Cerium doped red mud catalytic ozonation for bezafibrate degradation in wastewater: Efficiency, intermediates, and toxicity.

In this study, the performance of bezafibrate (BZF) degradation and detoxification in the aqueous phase using cerium-modified red mud (RM) catalysts prepared using different cerium sources and synthesis methods were evaluated. Experimental results showed that the surface cerium modification was responsible for the development of the catalytic activity of RM and this was influenced by the cerium source and the synthesis method. Catalyst prepared from cerium (IV) by precipitation was found to show the best catalytic activity in BZF degradation and detoxification.

Effect of SiN x diffusion barrier thickness on the structural properties and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 films obtained by sol-gel dip coating and reactive magnetron sputtering.

We investigate the effect of the thickness of the silicon nitride (SiN x ) diffusion barrier on the structural and photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2 films obtained with different processes. We show that the structural and photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2 films produced using soft chemistry (sol-gel) and physical methods (reactive sputtering) are affected differentially by the intercalating SiN x diffusion barrier. Increasing the thickness of the SiN x diffusion barrier induced a gradual decrease of the crystallite size of TiO2 films obtained by the sol-gel process.

H₂S photocatalytic oxidation over WO₃/TiO₂ Hombikat UV100.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a toxic, corrosive and malodorous compound with damaging effects even when present at a low concentration in air. Consequently, the development of efficient and environmentally friendly remediation technologies as an alternative to conventional techniques is justified for environmental reasons and public concern over human health and well-being. In the context of indoor air quality control, the use of photocatalysis over semi-conductor oxides could be a valuable alternative purification technology due to its wide-ranging effect and its easy way of implementation.

Photo-degradation of butyl parahydroxybenzoate by using TiO2-supported catalyst.

The present work evaluates the potential of the photocatalysis (PC) process for the degradation of butylparaben (BPB). Relatively high treatment efficiency was achieved by comparison to photochemical process. Prior to photocatalytic degradation, adsorption (AD) of BPB occurred on the titanium dioxide (TiO2)-supported catalyst.

TiO2/β-SiC foam-structured photoreactor for continuous wastewater treatment.

Introduction: This study of photocatalytic degradation of wastewater was carried out in alveolar cell β-SiC foam-structured photocatalytic reactors working in a recirculation mode. The immobilization of TiO2 on β-SiC foams was efficiently obtained through a sol-gel technique in acidic conditions.

Discussion: In order to optimize degradation yields obtained by the foam-structured prototype reactor for the photocatalytic water treatment, the operating conditions of the photoreactor have been investigated and the efficiency of the process was evaluated by measuring the photocatalytic degradation of Diuron (3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethyl-urea)) under UV irradiation.

Design and study of a cost-effective solar photoreactor for pesticide removal from water.

In order to remove pesticides from water, a basic photoreactor has been built. We evaluated the performance of this photoreactor using two commercial photocatalytic materials from Ahlstrom group and from Saint-Gobain, with solar and artificial UV-lamps. We compared the kinetics of photocatalytic degradation and mineralization of Diuron in the same reactor with of both photocatalyst supports.

Optimization of the indole photodegradation on supported TiO(2): influences of temperature, concentration, TiO(2) amount and flow rate.

This work describes the photodegradation of aqueous indole solutions by using TiO(2) supported on cellulose fibres. Four parameters were studied: the indole concentration; the TiO(2) amount; the temperature and the flow rate. Central composite experimental design was used to determine the influences of the parameters on the indole degradation percentage.

The lengthening of a giant protein: when, how, and why?

Subcommissural organ (SCO)-spondin is a giant glycoprotein of more than 5000 amino acids found in Vertebrata, expressed in the central nervous system and constitutive of Reissner's fiber. For the first time, in situ hybridization performed on zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos shows that the gene encoding this protein is expressed transitionally in the floor plate, the ventral midline of the neural tube, and later in the diencephalic third ventricle roof, the SCO. The modular organization of the protein in Echinodermata (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus), Urochordata (Ciona savignyi and C.

Molecular cloning and early expression of chick embryo SCO-spondin.

SCO-spondin is a multidomain glycoprotein secreted by the subcommissural organ (SCO). It belongs to the thrombospondin type 1 repeat superfamily and has been identified in several vertebrate species. We report the cloning of the chick SCO-spondin ortholog and examine its temporal and spatial expression during early embryogenesis from Hamburger and Hamilton (HH) stage 12 to HH stage 21.

The thrombospondin type 1 repeat (TSR) and neuronal differentiation: roles of SCO-spondin oligopeptides on neuronal cell types and cell lines.

SCO-spondin is a large glycoprotein secreted by ependymal cells of the subcommissural organ. It shares functional domains called thrombospondin type 1 repeats (TSRs) with a number of developmental proteins expressed in the central nervous system, and involved in axonal pathfinding. Also, SCO-spondin is highly conserved in the chordate phylum and its multiple domain organization is probably a chordate innovation.

Solar photocatalysis: a clean process for water detoxification.

The photocatalytic degradation of various toxic organic compounds has been proposed as a viable process to detoxify drinking water. Irradiating pulverulent semi-conductors like TiO2 in suspension or fixed to various supports in aqueous solutions containing organic pollutants, creates a redox environment able to destroy these pollutants. Solar photocatalytic mineralization of organic water pollutants has a strong potential in the industrial destruction of toxic organics in water as this has been widely demonstrated in recent years, and the applications and target compounds are numerous.