Publications related to On the photocatalytic degradation of phenol and dichloroacetate by BiVO4: The need of a sacrificial electron acceptor

Acids from fruits generate photoactive Fe-complexes, enhancing solar disinfection of water (SODIS): A systematic study of the novel " fruto-Fenton " process, effective over a wide pH range (4-9)

César Pulgarin, Aline Laetitia Schaub, Stefanos Giannakis, Giulio Farinelli, Mona Kohantorabi

This study aimed to enhance solar disinfection (SODIS) by the photo-Fenton process, operated at natural pH, through the re-utilization of fruit wastes. For this purpose, pure organic acids present in fruits and alimentary wastes were tested and compared wi ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2024

Silicon microresonator arrays: A comprehensive study on fabrication techniques and pH-controlled stress-induced variations in cantilever stiffness

Luis Guillermo Villanueva Torrijo, Annalisa De Pastina

We introduce a detailed design and fabrication process of Silicon microcantilever arrays for biomolecular detection in liquid environment, utilized with laser readout. We present typical fabrication problems and provide related solutions to obtain high qua ...

Elsevier2024

Microstructure - Electrochemical Surface Reactivity Relationship of Electrochemically Grown Manganese Oxides Films

Roberto Cestaro

This Thesis provides a comprehensive and correlative investigation of the microstructure, chemical state, and electrochemical reactivity of manganese oxide (MnOx) films, aiming to gain a deeper understanding of the deposition and dissolution mechanism of M ...

EPFL2024

Stability and degradation of (oxy)nitride photocatalysts for solar water splitting

Sophia Haussener, Franky Esteban Bedoya Lora

Advancing towards alternative technologies for the sustainable production of hydrogen is a necessity for the successful integration of this potentially green fuel in the future. Photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical water splitting are promising concepts ...

2024

Tailoring nanocatalysts and reaction interfaces for water- and CO2-electrolysis

Thi Ha My Pham

Renewable energy sources offer a promising solution for mitigating sustainability and CO2 emissions-related issues due to their vast energy generation capacity. They enable hydrogen production via water electrolysis, as well as carbon capture and utilizati ...

EPFL2024

Photo-Fenton inactivation of MS2 bacteriophage at alkaline pH by Fe salts or nm to μm-sized oxides, and the Janus-faced effects of natural organic matter in surface waters

César Pulgarin, Stefanos Giannakis, Ogadimma Cassandra Oji-Okoro, Giulio Farinelli

In this study, MS2 bacteriophage was inactivated by homogeneous and heterogeneous photo-Fenton processes in an alkaline matrix (pH 8) using low concentrations of H2O2 and iron forms (1 mg/L), including Fe(II), Fe(III), and Fe (hydr)oxides. As a reference, ...

Elsevier2024

Chlorination of amides: Kinetics and mechanisms of formation of N-chloramides and their reactions with phenolic compounds

Urs von Gunten, Tianqi Zhang

Amides are common constituents in natural organic matter and synthetic chemicals. In this study, we investi-gated kinetics and mechanisms of the reactions of chlorine with seven amides, including acetamide, N-meth-ylformamide, N-methylacetamide, benzamide, ...

2023

Sunshine and a pinch of tropical soils: A natural, low-cost photo-Fenton variation for safer water, assisted by H2O2 or percabonate

Michaël Bensimon, César Pulgarin, Stefanos Giannakis, Jérémie Decker, Thomas Guillaume

Clean water is essential for human survival, but access to safe drinking water remains a challenge in resource -limited regions. Herein, we explored a low-cost but effective solution for water potabilization using natural iron sources from soils along with ...

ELSEVIER2023

Bacterial inactivation in sunlit surface waters is dominated by reactive species that emanate from the synergy between light, iron, and natural organic matter

César Pulgarin, Stefanos Giannakis, Jun Ma, Da Wang, Shuang Song

In this study, the synergistic and antagonistic effects of Fe species and coexisting natural organic matter (NOM) on the efficacy of solar light disinfection of water are investigated. Different initial iron species (Fe2+/Fe3+) and naturalorganic matter ty ...

Elsevier2023

Unidirectional penetration approach for characterizing sulfate attack mechanisms on cement mortars and pastes

Karen Scrivener, Qiao Wang, William Wilson

Degradation of cementitious materials by sulfate ions is commonly classified into chemical and physical sulfate attack. So-called "physical" attack dominates in many field situations, but laboratory testing focuses on "chemical" attack under full-immersion ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2023

Periodate activation with copper oxide nanomaterials for the degradation of ciprofloxacin- A new insight into the efficiency and mechanisms

Shaoxian Li, Xi Zhang

In this study, CuO was synthesized using a facile precipitation method and was characterized using various techniques for the efficient activation of periodate (PI). Compared to systems consisting of PI alone (0.5 mM) and CuO alone (0.5 g/L), the CuO (0.5 ...

ELSEVIER SCI LTD2023

Electro- and photochemical H-2 generation by Co(ii) polypyridyl-based catalysts bearing ortho-substituted pyridines

Rosario Scopelliti, Euro Solari, Albert Ruggi, Vincent Artero, Fiorella Lucarini

Cobalt(II) complexes featuring hexadentate amino-pyridyl ligands have been recently discovered as highly active catalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER), whose high performance arises from the possibility of assisting proton transfer processes v ...

ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY2023

Improving planar optode lifetime: encapsulation and optical release of pH-sensing optodes and assessment of their lifetime in situ

Victoria Alexandrine Julia Suzanne Marthe Fay

PurposePlanar fluorescent optodes are important tools for probing key parameters, such as the soil pH, O2 level, and CO2 level, associated with the biology and biochemistry process in the rhizosphere. In this paper, we address an important limitation of ex ...

SPRINGER HEIDELBERG2023

In Search of Covalent Organic Framework Photocatalysts: A DFT-Based Screening Approach

Berend Smit, Kevin Maik Jablonka, Andres Adolfo Ortega Guerrero, Beatriz Bueno Mouriño

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) stand out as prospective organic-based photocatalysts given their intriguing optoelectronic properties, such as visible light absorption and high charge-carrier mobility. The "Clean, Uniform, Refined with Automatic Tracki ...

WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH2023

Enhanced Leaching of Zinc Ferrite by the Formation of a Solid Solution With Magnetite in Hydrochloric Acid Solution

The high zinc and iron contents of electric arc furnace (EAF) dust in the forms of zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4) and magnetite (Fe3O4) make it a valuable secondary source of these metals. ZnFe2O4 and Fe3O4 are known to form a solid solution at all compositions, a ...

SPRINGER2023

Single emulsion drops for photocatalytic water splitting as a membrane-free approach to product separation

Sophia Haussener, Esther Amstad, Swarnava Nandy, Sangram Ashok Savant, Gaia De Angelis

The coevolution of hydrogen and oxygen during photocatalytic water splitting presents a challenge for efficient product separation. Here, we demonstrate membrane-free, drop-based photocatalytic water splitting with inherent product separation and competiti ...

2023

Insights into Electrocatalyst Transformations Studied in Real Time with Electrochemical Liquid-Phase Transmission Electron Microscopy

Vasiliki Tileli, Tzu-Hsien Shen, Robin Pierre Alain Girod

The value of operando and in situ characterization methodologies for understanding electrochemical systems under operation can be inferred from the upsurge of studies that have reported mechanistic insights into electrocatalytic processes based on such mea ...

Amer Chemical Soc2023

Development of a magnetic calcium-alginate hydrogel-sphere encapsulated with Fe-Mn-Zr ternary metal composite for heavy metal adsorption

Xinyi Huang

Heavy metal contamination has become one of the greatest global environmental problems. In this study, a magnetic calcium-alginate hydrogel-sphere encapsulated with Fe-Mn-Zr ternary-metal composite (MCHETC) was prepared through a combined co-precipitation ...

2023

Visible-light driven water oxidation and oxygen production at soft interfaces

Hubert Girault, Astrid Johana Olaya Avendano, Jorge Gustavo Uranga, Julieta Soledad Riva, Sara Natalia Moya Betancourt

The visible light driven water oxidation reaction (WOR) by the organic electron acceptor 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyano-quinodimethane (TCNQF(4)) was studied at the water|butyronitrile interface. The WOR was performed at neutral pH, and without any ...

Royal Society of Chemistry2022

Molecular insights into the electrical double layer of colloidal oxide particles obtained through second harmonic scattering

Marie Bischoff

Photocatalytic applications play an essential role in the search for alternative energy sources and environmental decontamination techniques. It is of fundamental interest to understand on a molecular level the aqueous solid/liquid interface, where photoca ...

EPFL2022