Ce-doped ZnO nanostructures: A promising platform for NO2 gas sensing.

In this comprehensive study, Ce-doped ZnO nanostructures were hydrothermally synthesized with varying Ce concentrations (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0%) to explore their gas-sensing capabilities, particularly towards NO2. Structural characterization revealed that as Ce doping increased, crystal size exhibited a slight increment while band gap energies decreased. Notably, the 0.5% Ce-doped ZnO nanostructure demonstrated the highest NO2 gas response of 8.6, underscoring the significance of a delicate balance between crystal size and band gap energy for optimal sensing performance. The selectivity of the 0.5% Ce-doped ZnO nanostructures to NO2 over other gases like H2, acetone, NH3, and CO at a concentration of 100 ppm and an optimized temperature of 250 °C was exceptional, highlighting its discriminatory prowess even in the presence of potential interfering gases. Furthermore, the sensor displayed reliability and reversibility during five consecutive tests, showcasing consistent performance. Long-term stability testing over 30 days revealed that the gas response remained almost constant, indicating the sensor's remarkable durability. In addition to its robustness against humidity variations, maintaining effectiveness even at 41% humidity, the sensor exhibited impressive response and recovery times. While the response time was swift at 11.8 s, the recovery time was slightly prolonged at 56.3 s due to the strong adsorption of NO2 molecules onto the sensing material hindering the desorption process. The study revealed the intricate connection between Ce-doping levels, structure, and gas-sensing. It highlighted the 0.5% Ce-doped ZnO nanostructure as a highly selective, reliable, and durable NO2 gas sensor, with implications for future environmental monitoring and safety.

Exploring the gas-sensing properties of MOF-derived TiN@CuO as a hydrogen sulfide sensor.

In an effort to develop a long-lasting gas sensor, this article presents titanium nitride (TiN) as a potential substitute sensitive material in conjunction with (copper(II) benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate) Cu-BTC-derived CuO. The work focused on the gas-sensing characteristics of TiN/CuO nanoparticles in detecting H2S gas at various temperatures and concentrations. XRD, XPS, and SEM were utilized to analyze the composites with varied Cu molar ratios. The responses of TiN/CuO-2 nanoparticles to 50 and 100 ppm H2S gas at 50 °C and 250 °C are 34.8 and 60.0, respectively. The related sensor had high selectivity and stability towards H2S, and the response of TiN/CuO-2 is still 2.5-5 ppm H2S. The gas-sensing properties as well as the mechanism are fully explained in this study. TiN/CuO might be a choice for the detection of H2S gas, opening up new avenues for applications in industries, medical facilities, and homes.

Biochar-based composites for remediation of polluted wastewater and soil environments: Challenges and prospects.

Pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, pesticides, and dyes are the main environmental contaminants that have serious effects on both land and aquatic lives and necessitate the development of effective methods to mitigate these issues. Although some conventional methods are in use to tackle soil contamination, but biochar and biochar-based composites represent a reliable and sustainable means to deal with a spectrum of toxic organic and inorganic pollutants from contaminated environments. The capacity of biochars and derived constructs to remediate inorganic dyes, pesticides, insecticides, heavy metals, and pharmaceuticals from environmental matrices is attributed to their extensive surface area, surface functional groups, pore size distribution, and high sorption capability of these pollutants in water and soil environments. Application conditions, biochar feedstock, pyrolysis conditions and precursor materials are the factors that influence the capacity and functionality of biochar to adsorb pollutants from wastewater and soil. These factors, when improved, can benefit biochar in agrochemical and heavy metal remediation from various environments. However, the processes involved in biochar production and their influence in enhancing pollutant sequestration remain unclear. Therefore, this paper throws light on the current strategies, operational conditions, and sequestration performance of biochar and biochar-based composites for agrochemical and heavy metal in soil and water environments. The main challenges associated with biochar preparation and exploitation, toxicity evaluation, research directions and future prospects for biochar in environmental remediation are also outlined.

Advanced catalytic ozonation for degradation of pharmaceutical pollutants-A review.

Various chemical treatment techniques are involved in removing refractory organic compounds from water and wastewater using the oxidation reaction of hydroxyl radicals (•OH). The use of catalysts in advanced catalytic ozonation is likely to improve the decomposition of molecular ozone to generate highly active free radicals that facilitate the rapid and efficient mineralization and degradation of numerous organics. For the degradation of toxic organic pollutants in wastewater, the advanced catalytic ozonation process has been widely applied in recent years. Low utilization efficiency of ozone and ineffective mineralization of organic contaminants by ozone can be remedied with advanced catalytic ozonation. Advanced catalytic ozonation has gained popularity because of these merits. However, homogeneous catalytic ozonation has the disadvantage of producing secondary contaminants from the addition of metallic ions. Heterogeneous catalytic ozonation can overcome this drawback by utilizing metals, metallic oxides, and carbon materials as a catalyst of efficacy and stability. This review discusses various aspects of catalytic ozonation in wastewater treatment of pharmaceutical pollutants, application of catalytic ozonation process in typical wastewater, and prospects in advancing the techniques in heterogeneous catalytic ozonation.