Lemon extract supported green synthesis of bimetallic CuO/Ag nanoporous materials for sensitive detection of vitamin D3

In modern era, deficiency of Vitamin D3 is predominantly due to limited exposure to sunlight and UV radiation resulting from indoor lifestyles. Several studies have revealed that vitamin D deficiency can lead to chronic vascular inflammation, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, congestive left ventricular hypertrophy, and heart failure. This study introduces a green synthesis of novel bimetallic nanoporous composite, CuO/Ag using lemon extract. The synthesized nanoporous material, CuO/Ag@lemon extract was characterized using several analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The CuO/Ag@lemon extract nanoparticles were immobilized on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to prepare modified CuO/Ag@lemon extract-GCE interface. The electrocatalytic and electrochemical properties investigation was carried out on the modified electrode. using cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and amperometry for detecting of Vitamin D3. The DPV method displayed a linear response range of 0.02-22.5 µM with a detection limit of 2.62 nM, while the amperometric method showed a broader linear range of 0.25-23.25 µM with a detection limit of 2.70 nM with 82% modified electrode stability. The designed electrode exhibited a positive response to the inclusion of Vitamin D3 with electro-oxidation, reaching steady-state within 3.4 s, with 87% reproducibility within a day. The proposed method offers a rapid and sensitive platform for detection of Vitamin D3 with minimal interference from other molecules. The early diagnosis of Vitamin D3 deficiency using modified electrodes allows for early treatment, thereby preventing severe health complications.

Research Progress of Co-Catalysts in Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction: A Review of Developments, Opportunities, and Directions

With the development of the global economy, large amounts of fossil fuels are being burned, causing a severe energy crisis and climate change. Photocatalytic CO2 reduction is a clean and environmentally friendly method to convert CO2 into hydrocarbon fuel, providing a feasible solution to the global energy crisis and climate problems. Photocatalytic CO2 reduction has three key steps: solar energy absorption, electron transfer, and CO2 catalytic reduction. The previous literature has obtained many significant results around the first two steps, while in the third step, there are few results due to the need to add a co-catalyst. In general, the co-catalysts have three essential roles: (1) promoting the separation of photoexcited electron–hole pairs, (2) inhibiting side reactions, and (3) improving the selectivity of target products. This paper summarizes different types of photocatalysts for photocatalytic CO2 reduction, the reaction mechanisms are illustrated, and the application prospects are prospected.

Development and Functionalization of Visible-Light-Driven Water-Splitting Photocatalysts

With global warming and the depletion of fossil resources, our fossil fuel-dependent society is expected to shift to one that instead uses hydrogen (H₂) as a clean and renewable energy. To realize this, the photocatalytic water-splitting reaction, which produces H₂ from water and solar energy through photocatalysis, has attracted much attention. However, for practical use, the functionality of water-splitting photocatalysts must be further improved to efficiently absorb visible (Vis) light, which accounts for the majority of sunlight. Considering the mechanism of water-splitting photocatalysis, researchers in the various fields must be employed in this type of study to achieve this. However, for researchers in fields other than catalytic chemistry, ceramic (semiconductor) materials chemistry, and electrochemistry to participate in this field, new reviews that summarize previous reports on water-splitting photocatalysis seem to be needed. Therefore, in this review, we summarize recent studies on the development and functionalization of Vis-light-driven water-splitting photocatalysts. Through this summary, we aim to share current technology and future challenges with readers in the various fields and help expedite the practical application of Vis-light-driven water-splitting photocatalysts.

Bio-Templating: An Emerging Synthetic Technique for Catalysts. A Review

In the last few years, researchers have focused their attention on the synthesis of new catalyst structures based on or inspired by nature. Biotemplating involves the transfer of biological structures to inorganic materials through artificial mineralization processes. This approach offers the main advantage of allowing morphological control of the product, as a template with the desired morphology can be pre-determined, as long as it is found in nature. This way, natural evolution through millions of years can provide us with new synthetic pathways to develop some novel functional materials with advantageous properties, such as sophistication, miniaturization, hybridization, hierarchical organization, resistance, and adaptability to the required need. The field of application of these materials is very wide, covering nanomedicine, energy capture and storage, sensors, biocompatible materials, adsorbents, and catalysis. In the latter case, bio-inspired materials can be applied as catalysts requiring different types of active sites (i.e., redox, acidic, basic sites, or a combination of them) to a wide range of processes, including conventional thermal catalysis, photocatalysis, or electrocatalysis, among others. This review aims to cover current experimental studies in the field of biotemplating materials synthesis and their characterization, focusing on their application in heterogeneous catalysis.

Enhanced hydrogen production by methanol decomposition using a novel rotating gliding arc discharge plasma

Hydrogen production from methanol decomposition was performed in a novel direct current (DC) rotating gliding arc (RGA) plasma reactor.