Colloid and Nanoscience Journal
Volume:1 Issue: 4, Dec 2023

Magnetic materials show promising applications in heterogeneous catalysis due to their ease of isolation and excellent reusability. The present study reports the design, synthesis and characterization of a new magnetic Fe3O4 biochar catalyst. The structures and properties of MBC@BTT-Cu(II) were fully characterized using various physicochemical techniques. The prepared catalyst showed excellent catalytic activity for the synthesis of 5-substituted 1H-tetrazole derivatives. This new method shows some important features, including high efficiency, lower catalyst loading, easy operation, and the ability to recycle the catalyst for at least six times without obvious degradation of the catalytic performance. Furthermore, MBC@BTT-Cu(II) nanoCatalyst can be reused in up to five cycles without loss in catalytic activity.

This study examines the influence of electrolyte parameters on the synthesis of Cu2O semiconductor nanostructures. Cu2O nanostructures were synthesized using the electrodeposition method for application in photoelectrochemical water splitting. The study focused on investigating the effects of electrolyte pH and temperature during the synthesis process. Cuprous oxide is considered a promising p-type semiconductor due to its excellent light absorption in the solar spectrum window. It is an attractive semiconductor for photoelectrochemical water splitting, given its high theoretical efficiency for this process. Various characterizations including X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) were used to analyze the structural properties of the synthesized Cu2O. The photoelectrochemical activity of the synthesized samples was evaluated using current-voltage measurements. The results suggest that the optimal electrolyte conditions for Cu2O synthesis were achieved at pH 13 and electrolyte temperature of 60°C.

There is interest in minimizing or eliminating the dependency on the use of non-recyclable, expensive and homogeneous catalysts. This can be achieved by replacing them with more durable nanoheterogeneous catalysts, which offer high catalytic performance and easy recoverability. Designing highly active and stable heterogeneous catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of phenol is still a challenge. In this study, a novel type of Pt/γ-Al2 O3 nanocatalyst is elaborately designed and prepared using a clean and green colloid-Microwave assisted synthetic method. The obtained nanocatalyst was characterized using TEM and BET analysis. The results of TEM and chemisorption characterization results confirm that the confined nanocatalyst possesses stronger Pt-Al2O3 interaction, with an excellent monodispersity of Pt nanoparticle on the surface of solid support. The prepared nanocatalyst exhibited enhanced catalytic activity and stability for the hydrogenation of phenol to cyclohexanone compared to the unsupported nanocatalyst. Cyclohexanone is widely used in pesticides, coatings, dyes, lubricants, and other industries due to its low volatility and high solubility. At 1 MPa, 3 hours, and 80 °C, a selectivity of 92.6 % and complete conversion of phenol to cyclohexanone were achieved.

This work presents a new type of polyaniline- palladium (PANI-Pd) nanocomposite with different loading of Pd nanoparticle (0.5, 1 and 1.5 Wt.%) for catalytic reaction study that nanotechnology and green chemistry can come together for the development of green media reaction and this is the central theme of the current paper. PANI-Pd nanocatalyst was successfully synthesized using a one-pot colloid solution in water by the reaction between aniline and PdCl2 with controlling the size of Pd nanoparticles inserted into the PANI matrix. The prepared PANI-Pd (1.0 Wt.%) nanocomposite as a typical sample supported by analysis techniques such as UV-Vis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The UV-visible and FTIR revealed the strong interaction between PANI and Pd of the nanocomposite. The presence of Pd nanoparticles with a fcc crystal structure in the polymer nanocomposite confirmed with XRD. TEM analysis showed that the PANI-Pd nanocomposite has a good monodispersity of Pd nanoparticles in PANI matrix that Pd nanoparticles have spherical morphology with an average particle size of 30 nm. The catalytic behavior of the Pd–PANI nanocomposite was studied for Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions in the aqueous media. The excellent catalytic activity of the nanocomposite resulted in 82.5% yield in water for PANI-Pd (1.0 Wt.%) and the results revealed that the Suzuki–Miyaura reaction proceeds much faster in when potassium carbonate was used as the base.

Bacterial cellulose nanofibers as biobased reinforcement with biodegradability, renewability, and good physical properties for the lightweight construction design of polymer composite materials with high performance are often explored. The current work addresses the fabrication of a series types of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) composites consisting of three different concentrations of bacterial cellulose nanofiber (BCNF) networks (1, 2, and 3 Wt.%) by solution casting method. The prepared PMMA/BCNF was characterized with scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It was evident that the PMMA/BCNF nanocomposite film (1 Wt.%) has a flat and smooth surface and the BCNF filler is scattered on the PMMA surface matrix but barely detected in the PMMA/BCNF composite film due to the compatibility between the PMMA matrix and BCNF filler. TGA analysis demonstrates that plots shifted to higher temperatures with the increase of BCNF concentration in the PMMA matrix. The wettability and mechanical properties of obtained composite films were studied and compared to neat PMMA. The results show that the PMMA/BCNF nanocomposite film (1 Wt.%) has the best hydrophilicity and mechanical properties such as tensile strength, tensile strain, and Young’s modulus. This work is intended to spur all researchers to more research and development for enhanced potential application of PMMA nanocomposites that are reinforced with BCNF in a wide application fields such as photocatalysis-wastewater treatment, packaging, flexible screens, and optically transparent films.

The dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are the third generation of solar technology that use in recent years has increased dramatically. The purpose of this research is to evaluate components of the energy efficiency of light-sensitized solar cells based on porous silica. Unique properties of porous silica substrate, such as high surface area, mechanical and thermal stability, volume and diameter of the high risk make to the solar colors (Dye Solar) Cells of this type of structure are used effectively in the context of crystalline silica dispersed porous and due to this type of substrate volume with a specific morphology, which will increase efficiency. The solar colors (Dye solar) based on a porous substrate are detected by XRD and XRF techniques and the tin oxide coating on a porous silica substrate has been studied by techniques of SEM and efficiency of solar energy components factors such as type, color, and, temperature, surface area, the coating was examined and appropriate amounts in each case was optimized.