Phys.org July 3, 2023 Porous poly(aryl thioether)s offer stability and electronic tunability by robust sulfur-aryl conjugated architecture, but synthetic access is hindered due to limited control over the nucleophilic nature of sulfides and the air sensitivity of aromatic thiols. An international team of researchers (South Korea, Saudi Arabia) has developed a regioselective synthesis of highly porous poly(aryl thioether)s through polycondensation of perfluoroaromatic compounds with sodium sulfide. The temperature-dependent para-directing formation of thioether linkages led to a stepwise transition of the polymer extension into a network, thereby allowing fine control of the porosity and optical band gaps. The resulting porous organic […]
Tag Archives: Photocatalysis
Newly developed hydrogel nanocomposite for the mass production of hydrogen
Phys.org April 27, 2023 Despite recent progress in designing highly active photocatalysts, inefficient solar energy and mass transfer, the instability of catalysts and reverse reactions impede their practical large-scale applications. Storing solar energy in chemical bonds aided by heterogeneous photocatalysis is desirable for sustainable energy conversion. Researchers in South Korea designed a floatable photocatalytic platform constructed from porous elastomer–hydrogel nanocomposites. The nanocomposites at the air–water interface featured efficient light delivery, facile supply of water and instantaneous gas separation. Consequently, a high hydrogen evolution rate of 163 mmol h–1 m–2 was achieved using Pt/TiO2 cryoaerogel, even without forced convection. When fabricated in an area […]
A plastic film that can kill viruses using room lights
Phys.org September 9, 2022 Researchers in the UK have developed a thin, 30 μm, flexible, robust low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film loaded with 30 wt% P25 TiO2 and subsequently rendered highly active photocatalytically by exposing it to UVA (352 nm, 1.5 mW cm−2) for 144 h. The film was tested for anti-viral activity using two strains of influenza A virus, a highly stable picornavirus called EMCV and SARS-CoV-2, exposing it to either UVA radiation or with light from a cool white light fluorescent lamp. The film was effective at killing all the viruses—even in a room lit with just white fluorescent […]
Wide-visible-light-responsive photocatalyst boosts solar water splitting
Phys.org January 31, 2022 Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) has been widely investigated as a photocatalyst or photoanode for solar water splitting, but its activity is hindered by inefficient cocatalysts and limited understanding of the underlying mechanism. An international team of researchers (China, Japan) demonstrated significantly enhanced water oxidation on the particulate BiVO4 photocatalyst via in situ facet-selective photodeposition of dual-cocatalysts that exist separately as metallic Ir nanoparticles and nanocomposite of FeOOH and CoOOH (denoted as FeCoOx), as revealed by advanced techniques. The mechanism of water oxidation promoted by the dual-cocatalysts is experimentally and theoretically unraveled, and mainly ascribed to the synergistic […]