Enhancing selectivity in photocatalytic formation of p-anisaldehyde in aqueous suspension under solar light irradiation via TiO2 N-doping

The photocatalytic partial oxidation of 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol to the corresponding aldehyde (p-anisaldehyde) was performed under simulated solar irradiation by using home prepared N-doped TiO2 catalysts. The photocatalysts were prepared by a sol–gel method, using TiCl4 as TiO2 precursor and NH4Cl, urea or NH4OH as N-doping sources. A commercial TiO2 (Degussa P25) was also used for comparison aims. The prepared catalysts were characterized by BET specific surface area, XRD, ESEM and UV-vis spectroscopy. The reactivity results show that (i) the doped catalysts are predominantly amorphous, and they show selectivity values far higher than those of the corresponding undoped ones and of well crystallized catalysts – even if the last ones show a higher activity – and (ii) exploitation of solar light significantly increases the reaction selectivity. In addition, different light sources were also used in order to investigate the effect of radiation wavelength ranges on the reactivity and selectivity to aldehyde

Pauli-Fierz mass term in modified Plebanski gravity

We study SO(4) BF theory plus a general quadratic potential, which describes a bi- metric theory of gravity. We identify the profile of the potential leading to a Pauli-Fierz mass term for the massive graviton, thereby avoiding the linearized ghost. We include the Immirzi parameter in our analysis, and find that the mass of the second graviton depends on it. At the non-perturbative level, we find a situation similar to genuine bi-gravities: even choosing the Pauli-Fierz mass term, the ghost mode propagates through the interactions. We present some simple potentials leading to two and three degrees of freedom, and discuss the difficulties of finding a ghost-free bi-gravity with seven degrees of freedom. Finally, we discuss alternative reality conditions for the case of SO(3,1) BF theory, relevant for Lorentzian signature, and give a new solution to the compatibility equation.Comment: 25 pages. v2: modified sections 1, 2 and 4 to improve presentatio

Extruded Expanded Polystyrene Sheets Coated by TiO2 as New Photocatalitic Materials for Foodstuffs Packaging

Nanostructured, photoactive anatase TiO2 sol prepared under very mild conditions using titanium tetraisopropoxide as the precursor is used to functionalise extruded expanded polystyrene (XPS) sheets by spray-coating resulting in stable and active materials functionalised by TiO2 nanoparticles. Photocatalytic tests of these sheets performed in a batch reactor in gas–solid system under UV irradiation show their successful activity in degrading probe molecules (2-propanol, trimethylamine and ethene). Raman spectra ensure the deposition of TiO2 as crystalline anatase phase on the polymer surface. The presence of TiO2 with respect to polymer surface can be observed in SEM images coupled to EDAX mapping allowing to monitor the surface morphology and the distribution of TiO2 particles. Finally thermoforming of these sheets in industrial standard equipment leads to useful containers for foodstuffs

Photocatalytic selective oxidation of 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furaldehyde to 2,5-furandicarbaldehyde in water by using anatase, rutile and brookite TiO2 nanoparticles

5-(Hydroxymethyl)-2-furaldehyde (HMF) was selectively oxidized to 2,5-furandicarbaldehyde (FDC) in aqueous medium by using home-prepared (HP) anatase, rutile, and brookite TiO2 nanoparticles. HP samples were prepared via a sol−gel method by using TiCl4 as the TiO2 precursor. Commercial TiO2 catalysts were also used for comparison. All samples were characterized by BET specific surface area, XRD, TGA, and SEM, and the reactivity results showed that HP catalysts are predominantly amorphous and give rise to selectivities toward FDC more than twice that of commercial and well-crystallized catalysts

Nanochemistry aspects of titania in dye-sensitized solar cells

We analyze the main nanochemistry factors affecting photovoltaic performance in TiO2 employed as wide bandgap semiconductor in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). What is the best morphology of the oxide? Which processes yield the required structures? Finally, putting the discussion in the context of the rapid evolution of photovoltaic technologies, we argue that new titania nanostructures will form the basic component of second-generation solar modules based on dye solar cells

Combined implantation of toric and spherical intraocular lenses for low corneal astigmatism correction

Background: This study compared outcomes of combined toric versus spherical intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in patients with low corneal astigmatism. Methods: In this retrospective contralateral study, patients with corneal astigmatism who received combined toric (FIL 611 T, Soleko, Rome, Italy) and spherical IOL (FIL 611 T, Soleko, Rome, Italy) implants were recruited. Eyes were examined preoperatively and then again 3 months postoperatively. Postoperatively, uncorrected distance visual acuity (UCDVA), residual astigmatism, and spherical equivalent (SE) were compared between the toric IOL-implanted eyes and the spherical IOL-implanted fellow eyes. Results: Among the 46 included cases (age 69 ± 12.7 years [mean± standard deviation]; range: 60‒78 years), 86.9% of eyes (n = 40) in the toric IOL group had a postoperative refractive cylinder of ≤ 0.25 diopters (D), compared with 4.3% (n = 2) of eyes in the spherical IOL group. Both groups showed a statistically significant reduction in refractive cylinder and improvement in UCDVA after cataract surgery (both P = 0.01). Similarly, toric IOLs were superior (69.6%) to spherical lenses (2.2%) in obtaining a SE of ≤ 0.25 D. Conclusions: To our knowledge, no previous study had sought to compare low-power toric and spherical IOLs in low corneal astigmatism in the same patient's eyes. Our findings suggest that low-power toric IOLs may result in good refractive outcomes as compared with spherical IOLs implanted in the fellow eye of the same patient, although both result in significant UCDVA improvement. Wellâ€designed clinical research studies with a longer follow-up and more participants are necessary to confirm these findings