LaFeO3 Research Articles

Investigation of magneto-electric properties of La0.85Nd0.15Fe0.9Ti0.1O3

Solid state reaction route was employed to synthesize nanoparticles of undoped LaFeO3 (LFO) and Nd3+-Ti4+ co-doped LFO (La0.85Nd0.15Fe0.9Ti0.1O3, LNFTO) therein was considered to modulate its magneto-dielectric properties. The prepared samples were annealed at 1400 ℃ for 4 h to get the desired crystallographic phase. From the recorded X-ray diffractograms (XRD) it was confirmed that both dopants, Nd3+ and Ti4+ successfully entered in LFO lattice with some deviations from ideal perovskite lattice where the FeO6 octahedron is distorted. The XRD data were also used for extracting cell parameters using Rietveld analysis. Raman spectroscopic data of LFO and LNFTO were recorded at room temperature (RT) to identify the presence of impurities, if any. Magnetization (M) vs applied field (H) of LNFTO recorded at 300, 5 and 2 K show the presence of magnetic ordering with fruitful modulations in shape of curve and value of magnetization in co-doped sample compared to those of LFO. Analysis of M vs temperature (T) curve indicates that co-doped sample of LNFTO is in mixed phase of ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism. Frequency-dependent dielectric constant (ε′), dielectric loss tangent (tanδ), ac conductivity (σ′), z parameters of LNFTO were measured at different temperatures (in the range of 25 ℃ to 225 ℃). ε′ value of LNFTO increases and tanδ decreases compared to undoped LFO. On the other hand, variation of σ′ with frequency of LNFTO decreases, and accordingly resistivity increases. Variation of polarization (P) with electric field (E) of LNFTO recorded at RT indicates that P-E loops of LNFTO are improved compared to that of LFO. Leakage current density (J) vs electric field (E) characterisation shows that leakage current reduces in LNFTO. Nature of the J-E curve depicts that the resistive behavior of sample LNFTO is not linear, which confirms the presence of charge storage phenomena in the samples.

Effects of flexoelectric polarization on surface potential of dielectric thin-film heterostructures: A comparative study

Recently, flexoelectric effect has attracted considerable attention owing to ubiquitous existence in all dielectrics, regardless of the symmetry. It promises intriguingly physical phenomena, such as strain gradient-induced electric polarizations, photocurrents, and interfacial transports, as well as their electromechanical coupling with external force loading, in diverse materials for multifunctional applications in electronics. In this work, we report the flexoelectric-modulation on surface potential of LaFeO3 (LFO) thin-film heterostructures. The LFO thin film with or without the flexoelectric effect has been achieved by controlling epitaxial misfit against a substrate. Lattice structures and strain behaviors are observed by atomic-resolution high-angle annular dark-field imaging. Grown on a LaAlO3 substrate, a giant strain gradient of ∼3 × 106 m−1 is generated in the LFO thin film due to the gradual relaxation of large misfit strain with increasing thickness, yielding a robust flexoelectric polarization pointing to the heterostructure surface. In contrast, the LFO is almost fully strained on a SrTiO3 substrate due to the small lattice mismatch. The flexoelectric polarization results in an increase in surface potential in the LFO heterostructure due to the incomplete screening of positive polarization bound charges, as observed by scanning kelvin probe microscopy. Furthermore, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that the flexoelectric polarization can downward bend the band alignment of the LFO layer and modulate the interfacial potential barriers. These results provide the way for experimental observations of the flexoelectric effect and deliver physical insight into deep understanding of interfacial electronic structures of flexoelectric-based devices.

Simultaneous in-situ tar abatement and H2-enriched syngas production via heterogeneous doping of LaFeO3 during chemical looping gasification of microalgae

Chemical looping gasification (CLG) is an emerging environment-friendly technology for efficient and clean utilization of biomass, in which oxygen carrier (OC) is one of the key issues concerning the overall performance. As a rising-star material, perovskite with a tunable crystal structure shows great potential in syngas enrichment and tar decomposition during the CLG of biomass. In this study, the newly-developed LaNi0.5Fe0.5O3 (LN5F5) and La0.3Ba0.7FeO3 (L3B7F) perovskites through heterogeneous doping of LaFeO3 (LF) were evaluated as oxygen carriers with the purpose of simultaneous tar abatement and H2-enriched syngas production from microalgae. Silica sand (SS) and iron ore (IO) were used for comparison. Results showed that the CLG performance order of several materials was L3B7F > LN5F5 > LF > IO > SS at an oxygen carrier to biomass ratio (O/B) of 0.4, water injection rate of 0.3 mL/min and gasification temperature of 800 °C. The heterogeneous doping obviously improved the cyclic stability of perovskite during redox tests. In addition, possible tar conversion routes over L3B7F oxygen carrier were proposed. Results implied that heavy PAHs (4 rings or more) were first converted to light PAHs (1–3 rings) and n-hydrocarbon, which were finally transformed into micromolecular gases. The outstanding performance of L3B7F in microalgae CLG can be ascribed to the formation of oxygen vacancies and high-valence Fe4+ stimulated by the introduction of Ba2+, which were demonstrated by the XRD, H2-TPR and XPS results. These results evidence that the heterogeneous doped L3B7F is a good alternative for improving biomass availability in the CLG process.

Multiple roles for LaFeO3 in enhancing the Photoelectrochemical performance of WO3

For photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, constructing heterojunctions and loading co-catalysts are effective means to realizing sufficient light absorption, effective photogenerated carrier separation and fast charge transport. However, during implementation, the PEC performance of the catalyst is affected by both parasitic light absorption and reflection and the change in energy band structure due to the creation of new interfaces. Herein, in order to minimize the effect of recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs on the catalyst PEC performance due to the nascent interface arising from the co-catalyst compounding, WO3 and Ni/Co co-doped LaFeO3 (LFO) are constructed as heterojunctions, in which NiCo-LFO acts both as a part of the heterojunction to enhance photogenerated carrier separation and a co-catalyst to enhance the conductivity and modulate the surface state density at the catalyst-electrolyte interface. The current density of NiCo-LFO/WO3 reaches 3.92 mA cm−2, which is more than 7 times that of LFO/WO3. This work provides a reference for the efficient water splitting of B-site doped, especially the co-doped perovskite oxide as multifunctional roles integrated with conventional photoelectrodes.

Exposure Surface Active Sites of Perovskite‐Type LaFeO3 Gas Sensors by Selectively Dissolving La Cations for Enhancing Gas Sensing Properties to Acetone

AbstractWhile perovskite metal oxide semiconductors (MOS) gas sensors have great potential for detecting various hazardous gases, the surface enrichment of inactive A‐sites severely limits their ability to obtain excellent gas sensing properties. Herein, one simple and facile citric acid etching method is reported with the aim of significantly improving the acetone sensing properties of perovskite LaFeO3 (LFO) by surface structure optimization. Structural characterization shows that citric acid selectively solubilized the A‐site cations and inhibits the occurrence of La segregation on the surface without destroying the perovskite structure, thus increasing the exposure of the active site Fe. At the operating temperature of 200 °C, the response of etched LFO for 20 ppm acetone reaches 50, which is almost 12 times higher than that of pristine LFO sample. Meanwhile, the etched LFO samples also exhibit low detection limits (50 ppb), good selectivity, and stability. The enhanced gas sensitivity is attributed to near‐perfect surface metal ion ratio (La/Fe atomic ratio = 0.97) and abundant oxygen species concentration. This work provides an avenue to enhance the acetone sensing properties and beyond by intentional structural modification, which not only has great scientific meaning, but also valuable potential for industrial and domestic applications.

Magnetic Properties and Mössbauer Study of Perovskite LaFeO3 and LaFe0.5Cr0.5O3

Herein, a citric acid combustion method is used to prepare LaFeO3 (LFO) and LaFe0.5Cr0.5O3 (LFCO). Stable and distorted perovskite structures are detected by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of both samples. Due to the substitution of chromium ions, Fe–Fe couplings are wholly disrupted, thus indicating the transition from a sextet to a singlet at room temperature. The M versus T curve of LFO exhibits two anomalous peaks related to Fe–O–Fe superexchange interactions. However, a quite different behavior is observed in LFCO. It reveals the negative irreversibility below 239 K and becomes paramagnetic above 269 K. The field‐cooled (FC) curve of LFCO is also simulated using the Monte Carlo method with Heisenberg model. Exchange coupling and anisotropy constants, which indicate some system properties, are calculated by applying the particle swarm algorithm fitting. The Néel temperature of LFCO is determined to be 80 K.

Selective Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to Syngas Over Tunable Metal-Perovskite Interface.

The extensive emission of CO2 results in critical environmental issues, such as global warming. Photocatalytic CO2 conversion is a meaningful route to convert CO2 into useful chemicals. However, the highly selective reduction of CO2 with the avoidance of hydrogen evolution is still challenging. Herein, the photocatalytic reduction CO2 to synthesis gas (syngas) was achieved on a metal Ag socketed perovskite LaFeO3 (LFO) catalytic interface prepared by an in-situ exsolution method. The conduction band of Ag-exsolved LFO is more negative than LFO, benefiting efficient CO2 reduction. By tuning the dopant Ag cation in the lattice to nanoparticles pinned on the surface, the CO formation rate was improved around five-fold from 0.51 to 2.41 μmol g-1 h-1 . Meanwhile, the H2 /CO molar ratio also showed strong dependence on the modality of Ag at the metal-perovskite interface. The design offers a promising pathway for transforming CO2 to valuable chemicals based on efficient photocatalysts design.

Enhanced peroxymonosulfate activation by Cu-doped LaFeO3 with rich oxygen vacancies: Compound-specific mechanisms

The degradation reaction mechanisms of organic pollutants by peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation processes remain controversial. In this study, Cu-doped LaFeO3 samples were prepared and used as heterogeneous catalysts of PMS for the degradation of pharmaceuticals. Compared to LaFeO3 (LFO), the increased catalytic activity of LaFe1-xCuxO3 (LFCO) samples was observed, among which LFCO-7.5 exhibited the best performance. The enhanced catalytic activity of LFCO-7.5 was attributable to the generation of abundant oxygen vacancies. Hydroxyl radicals, sulfate radicals, superoxide and singlet oxygen were detected in the LFCO-7.5/PMS system. However, selective effects of radical scavengers on the degradation of different pharmaceuticals and selective reactivity of singlet oxygen toward different pharmaceuticals indicate the existence of compound-specific degradation mechanisms in the LFCO-7.5/PMS system. Furthermore, possible degradation pathways of SDZ and the toxicity evolution were investigated during sulfadiazine (SDZ) degradation. This study further enhances our knowledge on the degradation reaction mechanisms of organic pollutants in PMS activation processes.

Decoupling the impact of bulk and surface point defects on the photoelectrochemical properties of LaFeO3 thin films.

Point defects (PDs) play a key role in the properties of semiconductor photoelectrodes, from doping density to carrier mobility and lifetime. Although this issue has been extensively investigated in the context of photovoltaic absorbers, the role of PDs in photoelectrodes for solar fuels remains poorly understood. In perovskite oxides such as LaFeO3 (LFO), PDs can be tuned by changing the cation ratio, cation substitution and oxygen content. In this paper, we report the first study on the impact of bulk and surface PDs on the photoelectrochemical properties of LFO thin films. We independently varied the La : Fe ratio, within 10% of the stoichiometric value, in the bulk and at the surface by tuning the precursor composition as well as selective acid etching. The structure and composition of thin films deposited by sol-gel methods were investigated by SEM-EDX, ICP-OES, XPS and XRD. Our analysis shows a correlation between the binding energies of Fe 2p3/2 and O 1s, establishing a link between the oxidation state of Fe and the covalency of the Fe-O bond. Electrochemical studies reveal the emergence of electronic states close to the valence band edge with decreasing bulk Fe content. DFT calculations confirm that Fe vacancies generate states located near the valence band, which act as hole-traps and recombination sites under illumination. Dynamic photocurrent responses associated with oxygen reduction and hydrogen evolution show that the stoichiometric La : Fe ratio provides the most photoactive oxide; however, this can only be achieved by independently tuning the bulk and surface compositions of the oxide.

The strong interfacial coupling effect of Nafion between LaFeO3/electrolyte for efficient photoelectrochemical water reduction

Insufficient reduction capability and scanty active substance limit the application of LaFeO3 (LFO) in the field of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. This work demonstrates a judicious combination of LFO/Nafion composite to improve the PEC performance by a unique dip-coating method on the FTO. The photocurrent density of the LFO electrode coated with two layers Nafion increased to −23.9 μA cm−2 at 0.47 V versus RHE, which is 4.1 times that of the pristine LFO. Based on the experimental data and theoretical analysis, the improvement of the PEC properties is attributed to the construction of organic/inorganic units, which would enable strong electronic coupling and favor interfacial charge transfer, resulting in a 30 mV downward shift of its flat band potential. Thus, the conduction band gets closer to the proton reduction potential of H+ to H2 after decoration with Nafion, resulting in a stronger photogenerated electron reduction ability. Our study provides insights that organic materials modify semiconductor photoelectrodes for accelerating charge kinetics.

Elucidating the effect of Vx doped LaFe1−xO3 for advanced optical, spintronic, and thermoelectric devices

AbstractIn this theoretical work, we perform an investigation to study the influence of V doping in LaFeO3 (LFO). For V doping, the opted Fe site shows remarkable modifications in the inherited attributes of pristine LFO. We use formation energies and optimizations to explore the ground state structural stability. Electronic properties of stable structures reveal large spin polarization effects with spin‐up (metallic) and spin‐down (semiconducting) configurations. We observe the highest ferromagnetism for V‐25% doping which is a suitable candidate for application in magnetic tunnel junctions. Optical analysis reveals that the studied materials are highly transparent under incident light. All thermoelectric results suggest that the compounds can be categorized as p‐type doping. The thermoelectric parameters predict that the present compounds have beneficial thermoelectric industrial applications, especially V0.25‐LFO and V0.5‐LFO. We expect that these compounds are suitable functional materials for novel magnetic or spintronic devices and as transparent conducting materials.

Essential role of electrode materials in ethylene and acetylene sensing selectivity for LaFeO3 based gas sensors

LaFeO3 (LFO) thick film gas sensors were obtained by depositing the same sensitive material on alumina substrates provided with electrodes made out of different noble metals, namely platinum and gold. Their acetylene and ethylene sensing properties were investigated in dry and humid conditions at different operating temperatures. The main finding is that the nature of the electrode materials has an impact on the sensor performance: in the case of Pt electrodes good responses to both ethylene and acetylene were recorded at 150 °C; in the same conditions, in the case of Au electrodes a good response was recorded only for acetylene. In order to understand the underlying reasons, we investigated the surface chemistry changes associated with the nature of electrodes by operando Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transformed (DRIFT). We found that regardless of the electrode material, the surface reaction responsible for the sensor signals takes place for acetylene. However, in the case of ethylene, platinum is required for the reaction to occur.

Photocatalytic Bactericidal Performance of LaFeO3 under Solar Light in the Presence of Natural Organic Matter: Spectroscopic and Mechanistic Evaluation

Solar photocatalytic inactivation (SPCI) of E. coli as the indicator microorganism using LaFeO3 (LF) has already been investigated under various experimental conditions, excluding any role of natural organic matter (NOM). However, comprehensive information about the behavior of E. coli and its inactivation mechanism in the presence of NOM, as well as the behavior of NOM components via solar photocatalysis using LF as a photocatalyst, has prime importance in understanding real natural water environments. Therefore, in this study, further assessment was devoted to explore the influence of various NOM representatives on the SPCI of E. coli by using LF as a novel non-TiO2 photocatalyst. The influence of NOM as well as its sub-components, such as humic acids (HA) and fulvic acids (FA), was also investigated to understand different NOM-related constituents of real natural water conditions. In addition to spectroscopic and mechanistic investigations of cell-derived organics, excitation emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectra with parallel factor multiway analysis (PARAFAC) modeling revealed further information about the occurrence and/or disappearance of NOM-related and bacteria-related fluorophores upon LF SPCI. Both the kinetics as well as the mechanism of the LF SPCI of E. coli in the presence of NOM compounds displayed substrate-specific variations under all conditions.

Exchange Bias Effect in LaFeO3: La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 Composite Thin Films

Composite thin films arouse great interests owing to the multifunctionalities and heterointerface induced physical property tailoring. The exchange bias effect aroused from the ferromagnetic (FM)–antiferromagnetic (AFM) heterointerface is applicable in various applications such as magnetic storage. In this work, (LaFeO3)x:(La0.7Ca0.3MnO3)1−x composite thin films have been deposited via pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and the exchange bias effect was investigated. In such system, LaFeO3 (LFO) is an antiferromagnet while La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (LCMO) is a ferromagnet, which results in the exchange bias interfacial coupling at the FM/AFM interface. The composition variation of the two phases could lead to the exchange bias field (HEB) tuning in the composite system. This work demonstrates a new composite thin film system with FM-AFM interfacial exchange coupling, which could be applied in various spintronic applications.

Design and characterization study of LaFeO3 and CaTiO3 composites at microwave frequencies and their applications as dielectric resonator antennas

Technological development leads to the demand for innovation and the discovery of new materials properties. In telecommunications, DRAs (antennas with a dielectric block as radiant element) are a viable option for high frequency applications, where low profile and low losses are desirable, and essential requirements in several cases. A study of the properties of composites of lanthanum ortoferrite LFO (LaFeO3) and calcium titanate CTO (CaTiO3) as cylindrical dielectric resonator antennas is presented for the first time. In order to carry out the analysis, the material was produced through the solid state route, and resonators of LFO-CTO solid solutions were manufactured for seven different values of CTO weight fraction (0; 0.15; 0.20; 0.36; 0,56, 0,60 and 1). X-ray diffractometry, dielectric characterization, measurement of antenna parameters and subsequent comparison of measured values with theoretical and simulated values were performed. The antennas in this work showed good gain, good impedance matching, consistent values of return loss, high temperature stability and resonance frequency; all operating at the S band and beginning of the C band of the microwave spectrum.

Combined Bottom-Up and Top-Down Approach for Highly Ordered One-Dimensional Composite Nanostructures for Spin Insulatronics.

Engineering magnetic proximity effects-based devices requires developing efficient magnetic insulators. In particular, insulators, where magnetic phases show dramatic changes in texture on the nanometric level, could allow us to tune the proximity-induced exchange splitting at such distances. In this paper, we report the fabrication and characterization of highly ordered two-dimensional arrays of LaFeO3 (LFO)–CoFe2O4 (CFO) biphasic magnetic nanowires, grown on silicon substrates using a unique combination of bottom-up and top-down synthesis approaches. The regularity of the patterns was confirmed using atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques, whereas magnetic force microscopy images established the magnetic homogeneity of the patterned nanowires and absence of any magnetic debris between the wires. Transmission electron microscopy shows a close spatial correlation between the LFO and CFO phases, indicating strong grain-to-grain interfacial coupling, intrinsically different from the usual core–shell structures. Magnetic hysteresis loops reveal the ferrimagnetic nature of the composites up to room temperature and the presence of a strong magnetic coupling between the two phases, and electrical transport measurements demonstrate the strong insulating behavior of the LFO–CFO composite, which is found to be governed by Mott-variable range hopping conduction mechanisms. A shift in the Raman modes in the composite sample compared to those of pure CFO suggests the existence of strain-mediated elastic coupling between the two phases in the composite sample. Our work offers ordered composite nanowires with strong interfacial coupling between the two phases that can be directly integrated for developing multiphase spin insulatronic devices and emergent magnetic interfaces.

Colossal dielectric response, multiferroic properties, and gas sensing characteristics of the rare earth orthoferrite LaFeO3 ceramics

A great impact of the multifunctional or multiferroic materials on device applications has gained tremendous attention from scientific research groups in the field of materials science. The multiferroic materials bear superior properties of alternating the ferroic orders in a pre-designed way to match the device specifications. Materials in which there is a coupling between the primary ferroic orders (ferroelectric, ferromagnetic, ferroelastic) are termed multiferroics. This paper shows the investigation of a room temperature multiferroic material bearing a chemical composition LaFeO3 (LFO) also known as rare-earth orthoferrites. The particles of LFO are synthesized employing mixed oxide processing with heat treatment. The Rietveld analysis of the material shows that the LFO crystallizes having an orthorhombic symmetry and Pbnm space group. The complex impedance spectra indicate the distribution of relaxation time and non-Debye-type behavior. The dielectric parameters measured at various frequencies and temperatures suggest the formation of a colossal dielectric constant and low loss. The elemental analyses of the material show that there is no impurity present in the material. The pellet of the LFO arranged in a metal-insulator-metal arrangement is tested for gas sensing application. The LFO material has an excellent selectivity towards NO2 gas at relatively low operating temperatures ranging from 50 °C to 300 °C along with a sub-ppm limit of detection. A set of cyclic testing confirms that LFO can carry out stable and lengthy gas sensing operations while demonstrating outstanding adsorption and desorption characteristics. Such superior gas sensing properties and dielectric characteristics can pave the way toward the ultra-high sensitive gas sensors based on lead-free orthoferrites perovskites.

Thickness-Dependent Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Properties of Self-Assembled Nanostructured LaFeO3 Perovskite Thin Films.

Tuning the intrinsic structural and stoichiometric properties by different means is used for increasing the green energy production efficiency of complex oxide materials. Here, we report on the formation of self-assembled nanodomains and their effects on the photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of LaFeO3 (LFO) epitaxial thin films as a function of layer’s thickness. The variation with the film’s thickness of the structural parameters such as in-plane and out-of-plane crystalline coherence length and the coexistence of different epitaxial orientation—<100>SrTiO3//<001> LFO, <100>SrTiO3//<110> LFO and [110] LFO//[10] STO, as well as the appearance of self-assembled nanodomains for film’s thicknesses higher than 14 nm, is presented. LFO thin films exhibit different epitaxial orientations depending on their thickness, and the appearance of self-assembled nanopyramids-like domains after a thickness threshold value has proven to have a detrimental effect on the PEC functional properties. Using Nb:SrTiO3 as conductive substrate and 0.5 M NaOH aqueous solution for PEC measurements, the dependence of the photocurrent density and the onset potential vs. RHE on the structural and stoichiometric features exhibited by the LFO photoelectrodes are unveiled by the X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, ellipsometry, and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy results. The potentiodynamic PEC analysis has revealed the highest photocurrent density Jphotocurrent values (up to 1.2 mA/cm2) with excellent stability over time, for the thinnest LFO/Nb:SrTiO3 sample, both cathodic and anodic behavior being noticed. Noticeably, the LFO thin film shows unbiased hydrogen evolution from water, as determined by gas chromatography in aqueous 0.5 M NaOH solution under constant illumination.

Formation of a Dense La(Sr)Fe(Ga)O3 Interlayer at the Electrolyte/Porous Cathode Interface by Magnetron Sputtering and Its Effect on the Cathode Characteristics

Formation of a Dense La(Sr)Fe(Ga)O3 Interlayer at the Electrolyte/Porous Cathode Interface by Magnetron Sputtering and Its Effect on the Cathode Characteristics

Photocatalytic Bactericidal Performance of LaFeO3 under Solar Light: Kinetics, Spectroscopic and Mechanistic Evaluation

Lanthanum orthoferrites are a versatile class of catalysts. Here, the photocatalytic bactericidal performance of LaFeO3 (LF) to inactivate pathogenic microorganisms, i.e., Escherichia coli (E. coli), in water under simulated solar irradiation conditions was investigated. Various competing and contributing factors were covered to visualize the reaction medium consisting of E. coli K12 cells, organic sub-fractions formed by cell destruction, and LF surface. LF solar photocatalytic inactivation (SPCI) kinetics revealed the highest inactivation rate in ultrapure water as expected, followed by distilled water (DW), aqueous solution containing anions and cations (WM) and saline solution (SS). Characterization of the released organic matter was achieved by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques as well as organic carbon contents (DOC). Upon SPCI, significant amounts of K+ along with released protein contents were detected expressing cell wall destruction and lysis. Under the specified experimental conditions, in the presence of released intracellular organic and inorganic components via cell lysis, a significant count of E. coli was still present in SS, whereas almost all bacteria were removed in other matrices due to various challenging reasons. Based on the presented data, SPCI of E. coli using LF as a novel photocatalyst was successfully demonstrated as an alternative and promising method for disinfection purposes.