Tetraalkylammonium salts (TAS) in solar energy applications - A review on in vitro and in vivo toxicity

Tetraalkylammonium salt (TAS) is an organic salt widely employed as a precursor, additive or electrolyte in solar cell applications, such as perovskite or dye-sensitized solar cells. Notably, Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have garnered acclaim for their exceptional efficiency. However, PSCs have been associated with environmental and health concerns due to the presence of lead (Pb) content, the use of hazardous solvents, and the incorporation of TAS in their fabrication processes, which significantly contributes to environmental and human health toxicity. As a response, there is a growing trend towards transitioning to safer and biobased materials in PSC fabrication to address these concerns. However, the potential health hazards associated with TAS necessitate a thorough evaluation, considering the widespread use of this substance. Nevertheless, the overexploitation of TAS could potentially increase the disposal of TAS in the ecosystem, thus, posing a major health risk and severe pollution. Therefore, this review article presents a comprehensive discussion on the in vitro and in vivo toxicity assays of TAS as a potential material in solar energy applications, including cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, in vivo dermal, and systemic toxicity. In addition, this review emphasizes the toxicity of TAS compounds, particularly the linear tetraalkyl chain structures, and summarizes essential findings from past studies as a point of reference for the development of non-toxic and environmentally friendly TAS derivatives in future studies. The effects of the TAS alkyl chain length, polar head and hydrophobicity, cation and anion, and other properties are also included in this review.

Enhancement Photocatalytic Activity of the Heterojunction of Two-Dimensional Hybrid Semiconductors ZnO/V2O5

In this work, we report the fabrication of the new heterojunction of two 2D hybrid layered semiconductors—ZnO (stearic acid)/V2O5 (hexadecylamine)—and its behavior in the degradation of aqueous methylene blue under visible light irradiation. The optimal photocatalyst efficiency, reached at a ZnO (stearic acid)/V2O5 (hexadecylamine) ratio of 1:0.25, results in being six times higher than that of pristine zinc oxide. Reusability test shows that after three photocatalysis cycles, no significant changes in either the dye degradation efficiency loss, nor the photocatalyst structure, occur. Visible light photocatalytic performance observed indicates there is synergetic effect between both 2D nanocomposites used in the heterojunction. The visible light absorption enhancement promoted by the narrower bandgap V2O5 based components; an increased photo generated charge separation favored by extensive interface area; and abundance of hydrophobic sites for dye adsorption appear as probable causes of the improved photocatalytic efficiency in this hybrid semiconductors heterojunction. Estimated band-edge positions for both conduction and valence band of semiconductors, together with experiments using specific radical scavengers, allow a plausible photodegradation mechanism.