Industrial exploitation of photocatalysis: progress,perspectives and prospects

The removal of numerous organic pollutants from aqueous media using titania photocatalysis has motivated the need for commercial application of this technology for tertiary wastewater treatment and water purification. A discussion of the development of visible light-activating catalysts, pilot-scale multiphase reactor analysis and case studies with industrial significance is presented. An overview of different solar photocatalytic reactors is also given.     

The H2S decomposition activity of supported MoS2 catalysts prepared via PFHS method

Silica-supported MoS₂ catalysts prepared via precipitation from homogeneous solution (PFHS) exhibited high surface areas (180–190 m² g^–1 and activities which were about twice those of the unsupported specimens. An 8% Mo catalyst showed optimum activity. The superior activity of the supported specimen was attributed to the higher population of active sites occasioned by the good dispersion during PFHS. TEM examination also confirmed the existence of small MoS₂ crystallites on the silica support.     

Catalytic pyrolysis of CHF3 over activated carbon and activated carbon supported potassium catalyst

The catalytic activity of activated carbon (AC) and activated carbon supported potassium for the decomposition of CHF₃ was investigated at temperatures between 873 and 1173 K and at a space velocity of 4300 h⁻¹. It is found that activated carbon supported potassium shows high and relatively stable activity during the pyrolysis of CHF₃ under the conditions studied. Compared with the gas phase reaction, the conversion of CHF₃ increases by up to 10 times between 873 and 1123 K, with the major products being C₂F₄ and C₃F₆. Selectivities as high as 55% to C₂F₄ and 35% to C₃F₆ are achieved under optimum conditions. The main byproduct HF readily reacts with K₂O in the catalyst, converting the catalyst from K₂O/AC into KF/AC. Selectivity to the major products remains relatively constant following this transformation.     

Nanomagnet Bioconjugates with anti-CRP Polyclonal Antibodies as Nanobioprobes for Enhanced Impedimetric Detection of CRP

Selective purification of biological materials for their detection in complex sample matrix is a general challenge for many researchers working in the field of diagnostics. Magnetic nanoparticles functionalized with biological molecules that impart biomolecular selectivity are therefore of major interest as capture probes thus allowing for magnetic separations. Nanoparticles can also be used for the enhanced detection of biomarkers. In this work, an ultrasensitive sandwich-based impedimetric immunosensor was fabricated for the detection of C-reactive protein antigen (CRPAg). Stable and oriented immobilization of anti-CRP monoclonal antibody was achieved onto electrografted phenylethylamine derivatized with succinic anhydride and phenylboronic acid via carbodiimide chemistry. The detection of CRPAg was achieved using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). The enhancement of the impedance charge-transfer resistance (R_CT) signal was achieved using the sandwich approach. The anti-CRP polyclonal antibody was immobilized in an oriented manner onto magnetic nanoparticles functionalized with phenylboronic acid. The increase in the change in charge-transfer resistance (ΔR_CT) values was linearly proportional to the concentration of CRPAg in the range 10 to 200 ng mL⁻¹ covering the clinical range for CRPAg detection and with a detection limit of 0.34 ng mL⁻¹.