Activation of Vegetable Oils by Reaction with Maleic Anhydride as a Renewable Source in Chemical Processes: New Experimental and Computational NMR Evidence.

Vegetable oils are bio-based and sustainable starting materials that can be used to develop chemicals for industrial processes. In this study, the functionalization of three vegetable oils (grape, hemp, and linseed) with maleic anhydride was carried out either by conventional heating or microwave activation to obtain products that, after further reactions, can enhance the water dispersion of oils for industrial applications. To identify the most abundant derivatives formed, trans-3-octene, methyl oleate, and ethyl linoleate were reacted as reference systems. A detailed NMR study, supported by computational evidence, allowed for the identification of the species formed in the reaction of trans-3-octene with maleic anhydride. The signals in the 1H NMR spectra of the alkenyl succinic anhydride (ASA) moieties bound to the organic chains were clearly identified. The reactions achieved by conventional heating were carried out for 5 h at 200 °C, resulting in similar or lower amounts of ASA units/g of oil with respect to the reactions performed by microwave activation, which, however, induced a higher viscosity of the samples.

Pb-Free Cs3Bi2I9 Perovskite as a Visible-Light-Active Photocatalyst for Organic Pollutant Degradation.

In our work, we employed Cs3Bi2I9 as a visible-light-active photocatalyst, synthesized with a low-temperature solvothermal method. The morphological and structural properties of the as-prepared perovskite were investigated, and the results were compared to previous studies to confirm its nature and the quality of the synthesis procedure. Transient absorption spectroscopy was applied in order to investigate the generation and lifetime of photogenerated charge carriers, revealing their formation after visible light excitation. The potential photocatalytic activity of the as-prepared metal halide perovskite was applied for the removal of Rhodamine B in aqueous solution, demonstrating an excellent activity of 93% after 180 min under visible-light irradiation. The current research aims to provide insights into the design of a new visible-light-active photocatalyst, Cs3Bi2I9, selected for its high application value in the field of advanced materials for light harvesting.

An Emerging Visible-Light Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite for Photocatalytic Applications.

The development of visible-light active photocatalysts is a current challenge especially energy and environmental-related fields. Herein, methylammonium lead iodide perovskite (MAIPb) was chosen as the novel semiconductor material for its ability of absorbing visible-light. An easily reproducible and efficient method was employed to synthesize the as-mentioned material. The sample was characterized by various techniques and has been used as visible-light photocatalyst for degradation of two model pollutants: rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene-blue (MB). The photo-degradation of RhB was found to achieve about 65% after 180 min of treatment. Moreover, the efficiency was enhanced to 100% by assisting the process with a small amount of H2O2. The visible-light activity of the photocatalyst was attributed to its ability to absorb light as well as to enhance separation of photogenerated carriers. The main outcome of the present work is the investigation of a hybrid perovskite as photocatalyst for wastewater treatment.