Preparation and Photocatalytic Performance of TiO2 Nanowire-Based Self-Supported Hybrid Membranes

Nowadays, the use of hybrid structures and multi-component materials is gaining ground in the fields of environmental protection, water treatment and removal of organic pollutants. This study describes promising, cheap and photoactive self-supported hybrid membranes as a possible solution for wastewater treatment applications. In the course of this research work, the photocatalytic performance of titania nanowire (TiO₂ NW)-based hybrid membranes in the adsorption and degradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV irradiation was investigated. Characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD) were used to study the morphology and surface of the as-prepared hybrid membranes. We tested the photocatalytic efficiency of the as-prepared membranes in decomposing methylene blue (MB) under UV light irradiation. The hybrid membranes achieved the removal of MB with a degradation efficiency of 90% in 60 min. The high efficiency can be attributed to the presence of binary components in the membrane that enhanced both the adsorption capability and the photocatalytic ability of the membranes. The results obtained suggest that multicomponent hybrid membranes could be promising candidates for future photocatalysis-based water treatment technologies that also take into account the principles of circular economy.     

Convenient Synthesis and Purification of N-Trifluoroacetylated Neuraminic Acid Tetraol: A Key Precursor for the Synthesis of New Sialyl Donors Containing Labile O-Acyl Protecting Groups

A convenient synthesis and separation of α- and β-anomers of methyl (phenyl 3,5-dideoxy-2-thio-5-trifluoroacetamido-D-glycero-D-galacto-nonulopyranosid)onate (6a and 6b) on a multigram scale was developed. Both α- and β-isomers of 6 were obtained as crystals suitable for safe storage. The β-isomer forms a crystalline solvate with methanol. Fully O-trichloroacetylated and O-trifluoroacetylated N-trifluoroacetyl thiosialosides were synthesized in an efficient manner from the β-tetraol 6b.     

Reverse fragment based drug discovery approach via simple estimation of fragment contributions

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Solvent-free silica gel mediated decarboxylation of C–O coupling products of β-diketones and β-oxo esters with malonyl peroxides

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Cyclometallated 1,2,3-triazol-5-ylidene iridium(III) complexes: synthesis,structure, and photoluminescence properties

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Approximate chemical analysis of volcanic glasses using Raman spectroscopy

The effect of chemical composition on the Raman spectra of a series of natural calcalkaline silicate glasses has been quantified by performing electron microprobe analyses and obtaining Raman spectra on glassy filaments (~450 µm) derived from a magma mingling experiment. The results provide a robust compositionally‐dependent database for the Raman spectra of natural silicate glasses along the calcalkaline series. An empirical model based on both the acquired Raman spectra and an ideal mixing equation between calcalkaline basaltic and rhyolitic end‐members is constructed enabling the estimation of the chemical composition and degree of polymerization of silicate glasses using Raman spectra. The model is relatively insensitive to acquisition conditions and has been validated using the MPI‐DING geochemical standard glasses 1 as well as further samples. The methods and model developed here offer several advantages compared with other analytical and spectroscopic methods such as infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy, electron and ion microprobe analyses, inasmuch as Raman spectroscopy can be performed with a high spatial resolution (1 µm²) without the need for any sample preparation as a nondestructive technique. This study represents an advance in efforts to provide the first database of Raman spectra for natural silicate glasses and yields a new approach for the treatment of Raman spectra, which allows us to extract approximate information about the chemical composition of natural silicate glasses using Raman spectroscopy. We anticipate its application in handheld in situ terrestrial field studies of silicate glasses under extreme conditions (e.g. extraterrestrial and submarine environments). © 2015 The Authors Journal of Raman Spectroscopy Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

Synthesis of Supported Heterogeneous Catalysts by Laser Ablation of Metallic Palladium in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Medium

To obtain a supported heterogeneous catalyst, laser ablation of metallic palladium in supercritical carbon dioxide was performed in the presence of a carrier, microparticles of γ-alumina. The influence of the ablation process conditions—including supercritical fluid density, ablation, mixing time of the mixture, and laser wavelength—on the completeness and efficiency of the deposition of palladium particles on the surface of the carrier was studied. The obtained composites were investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy using energy dispersive spectroscopy. We found that palladium particles were nanosized and had a narrow size distribution (2–8 nm). The synthesized composites revealed high activity as catalysts in the liquid-phase hydrogenation of diphenylacetylene.     

Seeing the Unseen: Experimental Observation of Magnetic Anapole State Inside a High-Index Dielectric Particle

The existence of non-radiating electromagnetic sources attracts much attention in photonic community and gives rise to extensive discussions of various applications in lasing, medical imaging, sensing, and nonlinear optics. In this article, the existence of magnetic anapole states (or magnetic-type non-radiating sources) characterized by a suppressed magnetic dipole radiation in a dielectric cylindrical particle is theoretically predicted and experimentally demonstrated. The specific features of the magnetic anapole state under ideal conditions are identified, followed by a demonstration of how their existence can be detected in practical structures. The concept is valid in various frequency bands from visible range for nanoparticles to microwave range for millimeter size objects. The experimental study is performed in microwave frequency range which allows not only to measure the far-field (scattered field) characteristics, but also to probe the peculiar field profile directly inside the dielectric particle. The experimental results agree well with the analytical ones and pave the way to detect and identify nontrivial different-type anapole states.     

Multifunctional Sulfur-Hyperdoped Silicon Nanoparticles with Engineered Mid-Infrared Sulfur-Impurity and Free-Carrier Absorption

Si nanoparticles (NPs), which are innovative promising light-harvesting components of thin-film solar cells and key-enabling biocompatible theranostic elements of infrared-laser and radiofrequency hyperthermia-based therapies of cancer cells in tumors and metastases, are significantly advanced in their near/mid-infrared band-to-band and free-carrier absorption via donor sulfur-hyperdoping during high-throughput facile femtosecond-laser ablative production in liquid carbon disulfide. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and Raman microscopy reveal their mixed nanocrystalline/amorphous structure, enabling the extraordinary sulfur content of a few atomic percents and very minor surface oxidation/carbonization characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A 200-nm thick layer of the nanoparticles exhibits near−mid-infrared absorbance, comparable to that of the initial 380-micron thick n-doped Si wafer (phosphor-dopant concentration ≈10¹⁵ cm⁻³), with the corresponding extinction coefficient for the hyperdoped NPs being 4–7 orders higher over the broadband spectral range of 1–25 micrometers. Such ultimate, but potentially tunable mid-IR structured, multi-band absorption of various sulfur-impurity clusters and smooth free-carrier absorption are break through advances in mid-infrared (mid-IR) laser and radiofrequency (RF) hyperthermia-based therapies, as envisioned in the RF-heating tests, and in fabrication of higher-efficiency thin-film and bulk photovoltaic devices with ultra-broad (UV−mid-IR) spectral response.