A nivalenol imprinted quartz crystal microbalance sensor based on sulphur-incorporating cobalt ferrite and its application to rice samples

Nivalenol as a mycotoxin pesticide is toxic to humans and animals and causes major health problems including hemorrhage, anemia, and vomiting. Thus, the need for fast and reliable analytical systems in terms of the management of health risks resulting from nivalenol exposure has increased in recent years. The aim of this study involved a novel molecularly imprinted quartz crystal microbalance sensor preparation based on sulphur-incorporating cobalt ferrite for nivalenol detection in rice samples. For this aim, cobalt ferrite and sulfur incorporated cobalt ferrite were successfully synthesized by sol-gel and calcination methods, respectively. Then, nivalenol imprinted quartz crystal microbalance chips based on cobalt ferrite and sulfur incorporated cobalt ferrite were prepared by an ultraviolet polymerization technique including N,N'-azobisisobutyronitrile as the initiator, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linker, methacryloylamidoglutamic acid as the monomer, and nivalenol as the analyte. After some spectroscopic, electrochemical and microscopic characterization studies, the developed sensor was applied to rice grain samples for the determination of nivalenol. The linearity of the prepared sensor was observed to be 1.0-10.0 ng L-1 and the limit of quantification and detection limit were found to be 1.0 and 0.33 ng L-1, respectively. Finally, the high selectivity, repeatability, and stability of the prepared sensor based on sulphur-incorporating cobalt ferrite and a molecularly imprinted polymer can ensure safe food consumption worldwide.

Surface Enriching Promotes Decomposition of Benzene from Air

The low generation rate and short lifetime of reactive oxidation radicals typical like ·OH strictly limit the photocatalytic degradation of benzene in the air. Here, we adopt copper dopant to...

Titania nanotubes coated with graphene as a promising catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction

The enhanced electrocatalytic properties of rGO/TiO₂NTs for the ORR are a result of increased specific surface area, number of active sites and accelerated electron conductivity.

Visible-Light-Driven Single-Component BiVO4 Micromotors with the Autonomous Ability for Capturing Microorganisms

Light-driven micro/nanomotors represent the next generation of automotive devices that can be easily actuated and controlled by using an external light source. As the field evolves, there is a need for developing more sophisticated micromachines that can fulfill diverse tasks in complex environments. Herein, we introduce single-component BiVO₄ micromotors with well-defined micro/nanostructures that can swim both individually and as collectively assembled entities under visible-light irradiation. These devices can perform cargo loading and transport of passive particles as well as living microorganisms without any surface functionalization. Interestingly, after photoactivation, the BiVO₄ micromotors exhibited an ability to seek and adhere to yeast cell walls, with the possibility to control their attachment/release by switching the light on/off, respectively. Taking advantage of the selective motor/fungal cells attachment, the fungicidal activity of BiVO₄ micromotors under visible illumination was also demonstrated. The presented star-shaped BiVO₄ micromotors, obtained by a hydrothermal synthesis, contribute to the potential large-scale fabrication of light-powered micromotors. Moreover, these multifunctional single-component micromachines with controlled self-propulsion, collective behavior, cargo transportation, and photocatalytic activity capabilities hold promising applications in sensing, biohybrids assembly, cargo delivery, and microbiological water pollution remediation.

Recent Advances in the Use of Black TiO2 for Production of Hydrogen and Other Solar Fuels

Black TiO₂ has emerged as one of the most promising photocatalysts recently discovered. The reason behind its catalytic activity is considered to be due to the presence of defects and Ti³⁺ species at the surface of black TiO₂ nanostructures, which are crucial for its diverse applications. Moreover, disordered/crystalline surface layers and bulk regions have been identified and appear to influence the intrinsic properties of the material. Here, we present the latest studies on the use of black TiO₂ for metal free hydrogen production, as well as for CO₂ photoreduction and N₂ photofixation. After highlighting the structure/property relations, we conclude with some critical questions and suggest further topics of research in order to better understand the underlying mechanisms of light absorption in black TiO₂ , especially towards solar fuels production.

Exploiting defects in TiO2 inverse opal for enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting

In this work, we report on defects generation in TiO₂ inverse opal (IO) nanostructures by electrochemical reduction in order to increase photocatalytic activity and improve photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting performance. Macroporous structures, such as inverse opals, have attracted a lot of attention for energy-related applications because of their large surface area, interconnected pores, and ability to enhance light-matter interaction. Photocurrent density of electrochemically reduced TiO₂-IO increased by almost 4 times, compared to pristine TiO₂-IO photoelectrodes. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses confirm the presence of oxygen vacancies in electrochemically reduced TiO₂-IO photoelectrodes. Oxygen vacancies extend the absorption of TiO₂ from the UV to visible region. The incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) increased by almost 3 times in the absorption (UV) region of TiO₂ and slightly in the visible region. Impedance studies show improved electrical conductivity, longer photogenerated electron lifetime, and a negative shift of the flatband potential, which are attributed to oxygen vacancies acting as electron donors. The Fermi level shifts to be closer to the conduction band edge of TiO₂-IO.

One-step synthesis of nonstoichiometric TiO2 nanorod films for enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution

Nonstoichiometric TiO₂ nanorod films with high stability and excellent H₂ generation activities have been obtained by a facile one-step sputtering method.