Intensification of environmental photodegradation of pollutants by Pickering emulsions

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Effect of Urea–Hydrogen Peroxide Content on the Photocatalytic Activity of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles

ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized using zinc acetate dihydrate, ethanol, and oxalic acid as precursor, solvent, and complexing agent, respectively, and urea–hydrogen peroxide (UHP) as, simultaneously, nitrogen precursor and oxygen donor. The structural, morphological, textural, and optical properties of ZnO photocatalysts were investigated using different characterization methods such as XRD, SEM, BET, and UV-Vis-DRS. The XRD patterns showed that the products consisted of ZnO and revealed the presence of nitrogen. SEM images revealed the agglomeration and aggregation of NPs. The photocatalytic activity of ZnO samples was estimated based on the photo-oxidation of 2-propanol under UV irradiation, and ZnO doped with 5%UHP showed higher photocatalytic activity than bare ZnO

LaFeO3 ceramics as selective oxygen sensors at mild temperature

In this study, an investigation about the oxygen sensing properties of lanthanum orthoferrite (LaFeO) ceramics is reported. LaFeO nanoparticles were synthesized by using tartaric sol-gel route and annealed in air at different temperatures (500, 700 and 900 °C). The samples have been characterized by using thermal analysis (TA), BET surface area and porosity, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results of sensing tests indicate that LaFeO nanoparticles exhibit good response to oxygen at mild temperatures (300–450 °C). The effect of annealing temperature on gas sensing performance was investigated, demonstrating that LaFeO ceramics obtained after annealing at 500 °C display better characteristics with respect to others. The oxygen sensor developed shows also high stability in humid environment and excellent selectivity to oxygen over other interfering gases such as CO, NO, CO, H and ethanol.Peer Reviewe