Surface-enhanced Raman scattering enhancement using a hybrid gold nanoparticles@carbon nanodot substrate for herbicide detection.

The widespread distribution of herbicides in the environment poses a significant risk to human health and wildlife. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has emerged as a powerful technique for detecting and analyzing herbicides. However, developing a low-cost, highly sensitive, reproducible, stable, and Raman-active nanostructured substrate for herbicide detection remains a particular challenge.

Advancements in mercury detection using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and ion-imprinted polymers (IIPs): a review.

Mercury (Hg) contamination remains a major environmental concern primarily due to its presence at trace levels, making monitoring the concentration of Hg challenging. Sensitivity and selectivity are significant challenges in the development of mercury sensors. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and ion-imprinted polymers (IIPs) are two distinct analytical methods developed and employed for mercury detection.

Biochar Nanocomposite as an Inexpensive and Highly Efficient Carbonaceous Adsorbent for Hexavalent Chromium Removal.

Biochar is commonly used for soil amendment, due to its excellent water-holding capacity. The Cr(VI) contamination of water is a current environmental issue in industrial regions. Here, we evaluated the effects of two-step modifications on boosting biochar's performance in terms of the removal of aqueous hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), along with investigating the alterations to its surface properties.

Controlled Release of Hydrogen Isotopes from Hydride-Magnetic Nanomaterials.

In this work, hydrogen isotopes in the form of protium and deuterium were rapidly desorbed from magnetic-hydride iron oxide-palladium (FeO-Pd) hybrid nanomaterials using an alternating magnetic field (AFM). Palladium (Pd), a hydride material with a well-known hydrogen isotope effect, was deposited on an FeO magnetic nanoparticle support by solution chemistries and used as a hydrogen isotope storage component. The morphological, structural, optical, and magnetic studies reveal that the FeO-Pd nanoparticles are hybrid structures exhibiting both hydrogen isotope storage (Pd) and magnetic (FeO) properties.

Porous iron material for TcO- and ReO- sequestration from groundwater under ambient oxic conditions.

Technetium-99 (Tc) is a major contaminant at nuclear power plants and several US Department of Energy sites. Its most common aqueous species, pertechnetate (TcO), is very mobile in the environment, and currently there are no effective technologies for its sequestration. In this work, a porous iron (pFe) material was investigated for TcO and perrhenate (ReO) sequestration from artificial groundwater.

Multifunctional Hybrid Fe2O3-Au Nanoparticles for Efficient Plasmonic Heating.

One of the most widely used methods for manufacturing colloidal gold nanospherical particles involves the reduction of chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) to neutral gold Au(0) by reducing agents, such as sodium citrate or sodium borohydride. The extension of this method to decorate iron oxide or similar nanoparticles with gold nanoparticles to create multifunctional hybrid Fe2O3-Au nanoparticles is straightforward. This approach yields fairly good control over Au nanoparticle dimensions and loading onto Fe2O3.

Ag nanoparticle embedded TiO(2) composite nanorod arrays fabricated by oblique angle deposition: toward plasmonic photocatalysis.

Using a unique oblique angle co-deposition technique, well-aligned arrays of Ag nanoparticle embedded TiO2 composite nanorods have been fabricated with different concentrations of Ag. The structural, optical, and photocatalytic properties of the composite nanostructures are investigated using a variety of experimental techniques and compared with those of pure TiO2 nanorods fabricated similarly. Ag nanoparticles are formed in the composite nanorods, which increase the visible light absorbance due to localized surface plasmon resonance.