Solar-Powered Photodegradation of Pollutant Dyes Using Silver-Embedded Porous TiO2 Nanofibers

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanomaterials have been ubiquitously investigated as a photocatalyst for organic contaminant treatment in wastewater due to their exemplary semiconductor properties. However, their huge band gap remains a barrier for visible light absorption, limiting their utility in practical applications. The incorporation of noble metals in the TiO2 scaffold would help mitigate the problem via plasmonic resonance enhancements. Silver (Ag) is the chosen noble metal as it is relatively cheap and has great plasmonic effects. In this study, the use of electrospun Ag-embedded TiO2 nanofibers as a photocatalyst is shown to be effective in decomposing rhodamine B and methyl orange dyes under a solar simulator in 3 h, which is more efficacious as opposed to pristine TiO2 nanofibers. This showcases the potential of a simple and economic wastewater treatment system for the removal of organic pollutants

Intrinsic Properties of Stoichiometric LaFePo

DC and ac magnetization, resistivity, specific-heat, and neutron-diffraction data reveal that stoichiometric LaFePO is metallic and non-superconducting above T=0.35K, with γ=12.5 mJ mol K2. Neutron-diffraction data at room temperature and T=10K are well described by the stoichiometric, tetragonal ZrCuSiAs structure, and show no signs of structural distortions or long-range magnetic ordering to an estimated detectability limit of 0.07 μB /Fe. We propose a model based on the shape of the iron-pnictide tetrahedron that explains the differences between LaFePO and LaFeAsO, the parent compound of the recently discovered high-Tc oxyarsenides, which, in contrast, shows both structural and spin-density wave transitions

Rapid Copper Metallization of Textile Materials: a Controlled Two-Step Route to Achieve User-Defined Patterns under Ambient Conditions

Throughout history earth-abundant copper has been incorporated into textiles and it still caters to various needs in modern society. In this paper, we present a two-step copper metallization strategy to realize sequentially nondiffusive copper­(II) patterning and rapid copper deposition on various textile materials, including cotton, polyester, nylon, and their mixtures. A new, cost-effective formulation is designed to minimize the copper pattern migration on textiles and to achieve user-defined copper patterns. The metallized copper is found to be very adhesive and stable against washing and oxidation. Furthermore, the copper-metallized textile exhibits excellent electrical conductivity that is ∼3 times better than that of stainless steel and also inhibits the growth of bacteria effectively. This new copper metallization approach holds great promise as a commercially viable method to metallize an insulating textile, opening up research avenues for wearable electronics and functional garments