Sono-electrodeposition of novel bismuth sulfide films on the stainless steel mesh: Photocatalytic reduction of Cr (VI)

Review on synthetic approaches and PEC activity performance of bismuth binary and mixed-anion compounds for potential applications in marine engineering

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) technology in marine engineering holds significant importance due to its potential to address various challenges in the marine environment. Currently, PEC-type applications in marine engineering offer numerous benefits, including sustainable energy generation, water desalination and treatment, photodetection, and communication. Finding novel efficient photoresponse semiconductors is of great significance for the development of PEC-type techniques in the marine space. Bismuth-based semiconductor materials possess suitable and tunable bandgap structures, high carrier mobility, low toxicity, and strong oxidation capacity, which gives them great potential for PEC-type applications in marine engineering. In this paper, the structure and properties of bismuth binary and mixed-anion semiconductors have been reviewed. Meanwhile, the recent progress and synthetic approaches were discussed from the point of view of the application prospects. Finally, the issues and challenges of bismuth binary and mixed-anion semiconductors in PEC-type photodetection and hydrogen generation are analyzed. Thus, this perspective will not only stimulate the further investigation and application of bismuth binary and mixed-anion semiconductors in marine engineering but also help related practitioners understand the recent progress and potential applications of bismuth binary and mixed-anion compounds.

Ag2O@UiO-66 new thin film as p-n heterojunction: permanent photoreduction of hexavalent Cr

The new nanosphere Ag2O@UiO-66 thin-film was synthesized on a stainless steel mesh surface via an electrophoretic deposition method, and is used as an effective and low-cost photocatalyst using visible light. The synthesized nanocomposite was used to perform photo-reduction of Cr(vi) ions under white light irradiation. The best removal rate (72% after 15 minutes) was obtained by the film with 0.034 grams of deposited composite having relative percentages of Ag2O : UiO-66 of 70 : 30. The interesting obtained results confirm that the p-n heterojunction of the composite is the main cause of the desired charge separation and the photoreduction speed increase. In the following, the resulting compounds were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), transmittance electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy diffraction X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) and the Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) method. Scavenging studies performed in the presence of familiar scavengers confirmed that superoxide radicals (˙O2-) and dissolved oxygen gas have a significant role in the photocatalytic reduction process.

Sono-processes: Emerging systems and their applicability within the (bio-)medical field

Sonochemistry, although established in various fields, is still an emerging field finding new effects of ultrasound on chemical systems and are of particular interest for the biomedical field. This interdisciplinary area of research explores the use of acoustic waves with frequencies ranging from 20 kHz to 1 MHz to induce physical and chemical changes. By subjecting liquids to ultrasonic waves, sonochemistry has demonstrated the ability to accelerate reaction rates, alter chemical reaction pathways, and change physical properties of the system while operating under mild reaction conditions. It has found its way into diverse industries including food processing, pharmaceuticals, material science, and environmental remediation. This review provides an overview of the principles, advancements, and applications of sonochemistry with a particular focus on the domain of (bio-)medicine. Despite the numerous benefits sonochemistry has to offer, most of the research in the (bio-)medical field remains in the laboratory stage. Translation of these systems into clinical practice is complex as parameters used for medical ultrasound are limited and toxic side effects must be minimized in order to meet regulatory approval. However, directing attention towards the applicability of the system in clinical practice from the early stages of research holds significant potential to further amplify the role of sonochemistry in clinical applications.

Sonochemically assisted the synthesis and catalytic application of bismuth-based photocatalyst: A mini review

Recently, bismuth (Bi)-based photocatalysts have been a well-deserved hotspot in the field of photocatalysis owning to their photoelectrochemical properties driven by the distortion of the Bi 6 s orbital, while their narrow band gap and poor quantum efficiency still restrict their application. With the development of ultrasonic technology, it is expected to become a broom to clear the application obstacles of Bi-based photocatalysts. The special forces and environmental conditions brought by ultrasonic irradiation play beneficial roles in the preparation, modification and performance releasement of Bi-based photocatalysts. In this review, the role and influencing factors of ultrasound in the preparation and modification of Bi-based photocatalysts were introduced. Crucially, the mechanism of the improving the performance for various types of Bi-based photocatalysts by ultrasound in the whole process of photocatalysis was deeply analyzed. Then, the application of ultrasonic synergistic Bi-based photocatalysts in contaminants treatment and energy conversion was briefly introduced. Finally, based on an unambiguous understanding of ultrasonic technology in assisting Bi-based photocatalysts, the future directions and possibilities for ultrasonic synergistic Bi-based photocatalysts are explored.

A novel continuous all-weather photo-electric synergistic treatment system for refractory organic compounds and its application in degrading enrofloxacin

A novel continuous all-weather photo-electric synergistic treatment system was proposed in this study for refractory organic compounds, which overcame the defects of conventional photo-catalytic treatments that rely on light irradiation and thus cannot achieve all-weather continuous treatment. The system used a new photocatalyst (MoS2/WO3/carbon felt) with the characteristics of easy recovery and fast charge transfer. The system was systematically tested in degrading enrofloxacin (EFA) under real environmental conditions in terms of treatment performance, pathways and mechanisms. The results showed that the EFA removal of photo-electric synergy substantially increased by 1.28 and 6.78 times, compared to photocatalysis and electrooxidation, respectively, with an average removal of 50.9% under the treatment load of 832.48 mg m-2 d-1. Possible treatment pathways of EFA and mechanism of the system were found to be mainly the loss of piperazine groups, the cleavage of the quinolone portion and the promotion of electron transfer by bias voltage.

Magnetic nanofluid based on green deep eutectic solvent for enrichment and determination of chloramphenicol in milk and chicken samples by high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet: Optimization of microextraction

In this work, magnetic nanofluid based on a deep eutectic solvent that constricts through a simple and easy route, and subsequently applied for the preconcentration and microextraction of chloramphenicol (CAP) as a hazardous drug from milk and chicken samples via syringe-to-syringe microextraction prior to its determination by high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV). In addition, the optimum conditions of effective factors were searched by the central composite design (CCD), and subsequently, at their optimum value, the figures of merit were evaluated. Also, the suggested method illustrated a low limit of detection (0.2 ng mL^-1), a low limit of quantitation (0.67 ng mL^-1), and a good linear range with an R² of 0.996. The CAP relative recoveries in milk and chicken samples were 90.3%-95.1%, with relative standard deviations lower than 4.2%. The current enhancement technique is simple, easy, and rapid, which makes it suitable for quantification of CAP by HPLC-UV at trace levels in complicated materials with reliable and reproducible results.

Cr(VI)-imprinted polymer wrapped on urchin-like Bi2S3 for reduced photocorrosion and improved photoreduction of aqueous Cr(VI)

Just like other metal sulfides, the misfortune of photocorrosion and undesired photogenerated electron-hole recombination for Bi₂S₃ was inevitable. In this work, a viable route to reduce photocorrosion of Bi₂S₃ and improve photoreduction of aqueous Cr(VI) was developed via "dressed" a Cr(VI) imprinting polymer (Cr(VI)-IP) on urchin-like Bi₂S₃ (U-Bi₂S₃). Cr(VI)-IP wrapped on the three dimensional U-Bi₂S₃ was implemented by a bulk polymerization. The wrapped Cr(VI)-IP enabled to fast enrich and adsorb Cr(VI) on U-Bi₂S₃ leading to improve the photoreduced efficiency of photogenerated carriers and restrain the photogenerated electron-hole recombination. What's more, Cr(VI)-IP wrapped on U-Bi₂S₃ was just like an "armor" which could support the three dimensional construction of U-Bi₂S₃ from the structural collapse of photocorrosion and retard the direct contact of oxygen and H₂O from the surrounding media. As expected, the obtained U-Bi₂S₃@Cr(VI)-IP exhibited higher photostability, adsorption, photoreduction capacities towards the target Cr(VI) than the bare U-Bi₂S₃. The photocatalytic kinetic constant of U-Bi₂S₃@Cr(VI)-IP was 6 times higher than U-Bi₂S₃. After 3 times recycling uses, the morphology, crystal structure and chemical constitution of U-Bi₂S₃@Cr(VI)-IP were maintained. In addition, the removal efficiency of Cr(VI) by U-Bi₂S₃@Cr(VI)-IP was kept at 58% whereas U-Bi₂S₃ was almost lost to zero.

Ultrasound-assisted electrodeposition and synthesis of alloys and composite materials: A review

The development of electrodeposited materials with improved technological properties has been attracting the attention of researchers and companies from different industrial sectors. Many studies have demonstrated that the electrodeposition and synthesis of alloys and composite materials assisted by ultrasound may promote the de-agglomeration of particles in the electrolytic solution due to microturbulence, microjets, shock waves, and breaking of Van der Waals forces. The sonoelectrochemical technique, in which the ultrasound probe acts as a working electrode, also has been used for the formation of nanostructures in greater quantity, in addition to accelerating the electrolysis process and eliminating the reaction products on the electrode surface. Regarding the morphological aspects, the acoustic cavitation promotes the formation of smooth and uniform surfaces with incorporated particles homogeneously distributed. These changes have a direct impact on the composition and physical properties of the material, such as corrosion resistance, magnetization, wear, and microhardness. Despite the widespread use of acoustic cavitation in the synthesis of nanostructured materials, the discussion of how process variables such as acoustic power, frequency, and type of ultrasound device, as well as their effects still are scarce. In this sense, this review discusses the influence of ultrasound technology on obtaining electrodeposited coatings. The trends and challenges in this research field were reviewed from 2014 to 2019. Moreover, the effects of process variables in electrodeposition and how these ones change the technological properties of these materials were evaluated.