Single-step Production Research Articles

Nanostructural evolution by applying various fuels in combustion design of CuZnAl mixed-oxides over HZSM-5 used in one-step production of CH3–O–CH3

The influence of different fuels (urea, ethylene glycol and citric acid) in combustion-based design of nano-structured CuO–ZnO–Al2O3/HZSM-5 catalyst was investigated. The catalytic performance were evaluated in a single step production of dimethyl ether form syngas. The X-ray diffraction, Field emission scanning electron microscopy, Transmission electron microscopy, Energy-dispersive x-ray, Temperature Programmed Reduction-H2, N2 Adsorption and Desorption isotherms and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy techniques were used to characterize physico-chemical properties of prepared nanocatalysts. The X-ray diffraction results clarified that application of citric acid increased relative crystallinity of Cu and Zn oxides existed in catalyst structure. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy results demonstrated that the zeolite structure was not destroyed after CuO–ZnO–Al2O3/HZSM-5 introduction. The Field emission scanning electron microscopy and Transmission electron microscopy images illustrated that the nanocatalyst synthesized with citric acid has the highest porosity and less population of particle agglomerations. The highest amount of surface area was obtained when citric acid was used as fuel. According to Temperature Programmed Reduction-H2 profiles, the reducibility of nanocatalyst synthesized with citric acid is higher than other samples. The activity of the fabricated nanocatalysts for syngas to Dimethyl ether process were tested at temperature and pressure range of 225–300 °C and 10–40 bar, respectively. Using citric acid as fuel led to achieve greater amount carbon monoxide conversion and Dimethyl ether yield. Furthermore, stability test represented that the activity of this nanocatalyst remained quite stable during 1060 min.

Single‐Step Chemical Vapor Deposition of Methyl Ammonium Lead Halide Perovskite for p–i‐n Solar Cells

AbstractMetal halide perovskite solar cells being one of the fastest emerging technologies for renewable energy still has to become more industry friendly in a way that will allow using it for thin film modules or tandems with conventional silicon devices. The simplest way to achieve this is to use chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique for tandem production. In this work, we show a method for a single step production of MAPbI3 films in a simple two‐zone CVD reactor from lead diacetate and methyl‐ammonium iodide powders. Obtained films show highly ordered cubic MAPbI3 phase with a thickness of 400–500 nm, good photoluminescence response and absorption band edge similar to spin‐coated film. We used those films to produce p‐i‐n solar cells with ITO/NiO/MAPbI3/C60/Cu structure. The best cell showed negligible 0.23 % PCE right after the manufacturing but significantly improved to 5.5 % PCE after 8 hours of storage in the dark. The main limiting factor affecting the efficiency is low current density, which we attribute to non‐optimized growth conditions; however, our approach is a first step to a single step CVD deposition of MAPbI3 on any type of substrates including texturized silicon subcells for better overall efficiency

Archaeosomes for Oral Drug Delivery: From Continuous Microfluidics Production to Powdered Formulations.

Archaeosomes were manufactured from natural archaeal lipids by a microfluidics-assisted single-step production method utilizing a mixture of di- and tetraether lipids extracted from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the exceptional stability of archaeosomes as potential carriers for oral drug delivery, with a focus on powdered formulations. The archaeosomes were negatively charged with a size of approximately 100 nm and a low polydispersity index. To assess their suitability for oral delivery, the archaeosomes were loaded with two model drugs: calcein, a fluorescent compound, and insulin, a peptide hormone. The archaeosomes demonstrated high stability in simulated intestinal fluids, with only 5% of the encapsulated compounds being released after 24 h, regardless of the presence of degrading enzymes or extremely acidic pH values such as those found in the stomach. In a co-culture cell model system mimicking the intestinal barrier, the archaeosomes showed strong adhesion to the cell membranes, facilitating a slow release of contents. The archaeosomes were loaded with insulin in a single-step procedure achieving an encapsulation efficiency of approximately 35%. These particles have been exposed to extreme manufacturing temperatures during freeze-drying and spray-drying processes, demonstrating remarkable resilience under these harsh conditions. The fabrication of stable dry powder formulations of archaeosomes represents a promising advancement toward the development of solid dosage forms for oral delivery of biological drugs.

A workflow for the development of template-assisted membrane crystallization downstream processing for monoclonal antibody purification.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are commonly used biologic drugs for the treatment of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, COVID-19 and various cancers. They are produced in Chinese hamster ovary cell lines and are purified via a number of complex and expensive chromatography-based steps, operated in batch mode, that rely heavily on protein A resin. The major drawback of conventional procedures is the high cost of the adsorption media and the extensive use of chemicals for the regeneration of the chromatographic columns, with an environmental cost. We have shown that conventional protein A chromatography can be replaced with a single crystallization step and gram-scale production can be achieved in continuous flow using the template-assisted membrane crystallization process. The templates are embedded in a membrane (e.g., porous polyvinylidene fluoride with a layer of polymerized polyvinyl alcohol) and serve as nucleants for crystallization. mAbs are flexible proteins that are difficult to crystallize, so it can be challenging to determine the optimal conditions for crystallization. The objective of this protocol is to establish a systematic and flexible approach for the design of a robust, economic and sustainable mAb purification platform to replace at least the protein A affinity stage in traditional chromatography-based purification platforms. The procedure provides details on how to establish the optimal parameters for separation (crystallization conditions, choice of templates, choice of membrane) and advice on analytical and characterization methods.

Additive Manufacturing of Continuous Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Sandwich Structures with Multiscale Cellular Cores

The use of composite sandwich structures with cellular cores is prevalent in lightweight designs owing to their superior energy-absorbing abilities. However, current manufacturing processes, such as hot-press molding and mold pressing, require multiple steps and complex tools, thus limiting the exploration of advanced sandwich structure designs. This study reports a novel multi-material additive manufacturing (AM) process that allows the single-step production of continuous fiber-reinforced polymer composite (CFRPC) sandwich structures with multiscale cellular cores. Specifically, the integration of CFRPC-AM and in situ foam AM processes provides effective and efficient fabrication of CFRPC panels and multiscale cellular cores with intricate designs. The cellular core design spans three levels: microcellular, unit-cell, and graded structures. Sandwich structures with a diverse set of unit-cell designs, that is, rhombus, square, honeycomb, and re-entrant honeycomb, were fabricated and their flexural behaviors were studied experimentally. The results showed that the sandwich structure with a rhombus core design possessed the highest flexural stiffness, strength, and specific energy absorption. In addition, the effect of the unit-cell assembly on the flexural performance of the CFRP composite sandwich structure was examined. The proposed design and fabrication methods open new avenues for constructing novel and high-performance CFRPC structures with multiscale cellular cores that cannot be obtained using existing approaches.

Stable and ligand-free gold nanoparticles produced by laser ablation as efficient electrocatalysts for electrochemical sensing of dopamine

The possibility of producing high-purity and ligand-free nanoparticles makes laser ablation in liquids (LAL) an interesting method to produce gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). AuNPs play an important role in the manufacture of electrochemical sensors due to their excellent electrical conductivity and chemical stability. In this study, stable and ligand-free AuNPs were produced by LAL (AuNP/LAL) using a nanosecond pulsed laser. The control of this single-step production was facilitated by adding sodium chloride (NaCl), resulting in the reduction of AuNPs size (10 ± 2 nm) and higher stability (monitored for 12 weeks). The potential of NaCl-stabilized AuNPs/LAL as modifiers agents were investigated for dopamine (DA) sensing by cyclic voltammetry for the first time. The novel electrochemical sensor (GCE/AuNPs.LAL/Nafion) achieved an increase in the peak current of ca. 3 and 6 times for oxidation and reduction, respectively. A comparison of chemical syntheses and LAL approaches was given for electrochemical sensing applications; the AuNPs/LAL showed to be more efficient in facilitating the electronic transfer and electrocatalytic reactions. The estimated limit of detection values for DA sensing was 0.77 µmol/L (oxidation) and 1.08 µmol/L (reduction). The method hereby proposed is promising for clinical applications as the new electrochemical sensor allowed proper sensitivity for DA.

Single-step ethylene purification from ternary C2 hydrocarbon mixtures in a scalable metal–organic framework

Single-step purification of the ternary C2 hydrocarbon mixture to produce ethylene (C2H4) directly using adsorption-based technologies is desirable for reducing large energy consumption. However, it is challenging to develop an appropriate adsorbent, having preferential adsorption characteristics toward ethane (C2H6) and acetylene (C2H2) rather than C2H4 coupled with high adsorption capacity owing to their similar physicochemical properties. Herein, we present a highly stable, cheap, and scalable CAU-23 adsorbent, which enables single-step production of high-purity C2H4 (>99.9%) from the ternary C2 hydrocarbon mixture. CAU-23 exhibited higher uptake capacity of C2H6 (4.0 mmol g−1) and C2H2 (4.7 mmol g−1) compared to that of C2H4 (3.8 mmol g−1). Further, it showed the reasonable selectivity for both C2H6/C2H4 (1.54) and C2H2/C2H4 (1.5) with an equimolar binary mixture, indicating that the separation performance of CAU-23 is comparable to the benchmark porous materials for separating C2 ternary gas mixture. The breakthrough experiments demonstrated its capability to produce high-purity C2H4 (>99.9%) with various C2H6/C2H4/C2H2 compositions at 298 K and 1 bar with high recyclability. The origin of the separation performance was further explored by using computational simulations of the grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) and density functional theory (DFT).

Room-Temperature Single-Step Production of Ultrafine-Grained Bulk Metallic Sheets From Al Powder

Abstract Obtaining fully dense products with high strength in one step at room temperature by powder metallurgy (PM) is generally not possible. However, doing so would reduce manufacturing and energy costs substantially. In this work, we have attempted to achieve this on commercially pure aluminum by utilizing the friction-assisted lateral extrusion process (FALEP), which has the capability of producing sheets from bulk or powder metal in a single step, by applying large shear strain. The texture, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the fully compacted powder sample were examined and compared to the bulk sheet’s properties obtained also by FALEP. The powder-FALEP sample showed a smaller grain size and significantly higher strength. Simulations carried out by the Taylor-type lattice curvature-based polycrystal model shed light on the texture characteristics of the obtained materials and were in good agreement with the experiments.

Single-step laser ablation synthesis of ZnO–Ag nanocomposites for broad-spectrum dye photodegradation and bacterial photoinactivation

We present the single-step production of zinc oxide (ZnO)–silver (Ag) nanocomposites using a second harmonic nanosecond laser. The Ag concentration was controlled using various concentration of AgNO3 solution as the medium. The evaluation of the structural and optical characteristics indicated the formation of ZnO–Ag nanocomposites. The resulting nanocomposites exhibited photocatalytic activity in broad-spectrum light, both UV and visible light, for the degradation of rhodamine 6G. Furthermore, the nanocomposites were assessed as antibacterial agents, and the addition of Ag improved the antibacterial activity of pure ZnO against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Under light exposure, Ag greatly increased S. aureus degradation through a simultaneous antibacterial process. Eventually, the nanocomposites could be anticipated as photoactivation antibacterial agent and water purification nanocatalyst applications.

Optimization of Single-step Pravastatin Production by Penicillium brefeldianum ESF21P through Response Surface Methodology

The aim of the present study was to optimize the fermentation process for enhanced production of pravastatin by a wild-type Penicillium brefeldianum ESF21P strain using statistical approaches. Initial screening of significant variables influencing pravastatin production was carried out using 27-3 fractional factorial design. The seven variables involved in this study were slant age, spore concentration, inoculum volume, fermentation time, temperature, initial pH of the medium and agitation rate. Amongst these, slant age, fermentation time, initial pH of the medium and agitation rate had significant influences on pravastatin accumulation. These four variables were further optimized using the central composite rotatable design of response surface methodology. The analysis revealed that the optimal values of the selected variables were a slant age of 5.95 days, fermentation time of 11.87 days, initial pH of the medium of 6.13 and agitation rate of 211.31 rpm (rounded to 210 rpm). These optimized conditions resulted in a maximum level of pravastatin accumulation (234.36 mg/L), approaching the value predicted by the model of 251.19 mg/L. This study confirmed that statistical approaches can be successfully applied as practical tools in improving single-step production of pravastatin by Penicillium brefeldianum ESF21P.

Single-step production of autologous bovine platelet concentrate for clinical applications in cattle.

Platelet concentrate (PC) is an alternative therapy to treat mastitis in dairy cattle and is an alternative treatment for reproduction problems such as endometritis. Unfortunately, double-centrifugation processing methods described are time-consuming, require specialized laboratory equipment, and are usually done in a heterologous way, which risks herd health. To overcome this limitation, we evaluated single-step bovine PC processing methods readily applicable to a farm setting using an autologous conditioned plasma (ACP) production system. We investigated the hematologic findings, cytokines, and growth factors of the obtained PC samples. Autologous conditioned plasma was prepared using whole blood (WB) from 4 cows (group 1) using single-step centrifugation and 16 different processing methods. The 2 protocols that yielded the highest ratio of platelet to white blood cell (WBC) concentration were ACP-1 [720 × g (2,200 rpm), 5 min] and ACP-2 [929 × g (2,500 rpm), 3 min]. They were subsequently reproduced and compared using WB from 8 cows (group 2). Hematologic findings were quantified, IL-1β (cytokine) and growth factors [platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, bovine fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF)] were measured, and enrichment factors were compared between samples and processing methods. Hematological characteristics and platelet enrichment varied markedly among tested protocols and all were statistically different from WB. Protocol ACP-2 resulted in significantly greater platelet enrichment (mean 169% of WB) than ACP-1 (125% of WB). We found no significant difference between the 2 ACP preparation protocols with regard to leukocyte reduction (7.53-9.75% WBC compared with WB) or growth factor enrichment (124-125% PDGF, 95-100% TGF-β, 102-104% b-FGF, and 56-74% IL-1β compared with WB). In conclusion, both ACP protocols yielded a platelet concentration shown to promote healing for clinical applications in cattle, and the ACP-2 protocol resulted in a greater degree of platelet enrichment. Therefore, this protocol could be used for ACP production for clinical applications in cattle.

Engineering Gluconobacter cerinus CGMCC 1.110 for direct 2-keto-L-gulonic acid production.

Gluconobacter is a potential strain for single-step production of 2-keto-L-gulonic acid (2-KLG), which is the direct precursor of vitamin C. Three dehydrogenases, namely, sorbitol dehydrogenase (SLDH), sorbose dehydrogenase (SDH), and sorbosone dehydrogenase (SNDH), are involved in the production of 2-KLG from D-sorbitol. In the present study, the potential SNDH/SDH gene cluster in the strain Gluconobacter cerinus CGMCC 1.110 was mined by genome analysis, and its function in transforming L-sorbose to 2-KLG was verified. Proteomic analysis showed that the expression level of SNDH/SDH had a great influence on the titer of 2-KLG, and fermentation results showed that SDH was the rate-limiting enzyme. A systematic metabolic engineering process, which was theoretically suitable for increasing the titer of many products involving membrane-bound dehydrogenase from Gluconobacter, was then performed to improve the 2-KLG titer in G. cerinus CGMCC 1.110 from undetectable to 51.9g/L in a 5-L bioreactor after fermentation optimization. The strategies used in this study may provide a reference for mining other potential applications of Gluconobacter. KEY POINTS: • The potential SNDH/SDH gene cluster in G. cerinus CGMCC 1.110 was mined. • A systematic engineering process was performed to improve the titer of 2-KLG. • The 2-KLG titer was successfully increased from undetectable to 51.9g/L.

An improved protocol for protoplast production, culture, and whole plant regeneration of the commercial brown seaweed Undaria pinnatifida

Protoplasts (i.e., living plant cells devoid of cell wall) represent an important biotechnological tool with utility for the conduction of in vitro studies and crop improvement in economic cultivars. Undaria pinnatifida is an annual brown kelp commonly used in Asian cuisine and several industries because of its biological properties. It is one of the major seaweed cultivars used worldwide. This study establishes a simple and effective protocol for protoplast isolation, culture, and whole plant regeneration of U. pinnatifida . The results showed that high protoplast yields (2–4 × 10 7 protoplast g −1 of fresh weight) were obtained using the commercially available enzymes cellulase “Onozuka” RS (1 %) and alginate lyase (4 U mL −1 ) without any pre-treatment and with a short incubation time (2–4 h). The isolation protocol described herein presented with more effective results with meristematic explants and was superior to the protocols reported for U. pinnatifida and other brown algae. Additionally, the enzymatic mixture could be reused up to six times. Whole plant regeneration was accomplished after 3 months in culture at 20 °C using two culture media, and a mixture of antibiotics (penicillin G, streptomycin, and chloramphenicol) was added once at the beginning of the culture. Our regeneration protocol was less laborious and more cost-effective, exhibiting final plating efficiency higher than previously reported and demonstrating the potential to be used to produce up to 3 × 10 4 sporophytes g −1 of explant. The established protocol can be easily used for genetic manipulation, protoplast fusion, or micropropagation, thus enabling the expansion of the use of protoplasts in algae. • Single-step production of protoplasts from the edible seaweed Undaria pinnatifida using commercial enzymes • The reusability of the enzyme shows that the process is economically viable. • Antibiotics and temperature are key factors for protoplast survival, division and normal regeneration. • Regeneration protocol is simpler and more effective than previously reported.

Wet-air co-electrolysis in high-temperature solid oxide electrolysis cell for production of ammonia feedstock

To significantly abate the carbon footprint in the conventional Haber-Bosch process, a novel approach based on wet air co-electrolysis in solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) was proposed and evaluated in this study for sustainable single-step production of ammonia feedstock (i.e., H2/N2 mixture). An electrolyte-supported SOEC composed of LSCM-GDC cathode, SSZ electrolyte and LSCF-GDC anode was prepared and tested under various operation conditions. The current-voltage responses measured for wet air co-electrolysis were featured with three different regions which could be attributed to competitive and combinative effects of oxygen splitting reaction and water splitting reaction under wet air co-electrolysis operation. Gas chromatography (GC) analysis of the exit gas from the cathode chamber proved that high purity H2/N2 mixture had been produced successfully through the novel wet air co-electrolysis process. However, the obtained H2:N2 ratios were still much lower than the desired 3:1 ratio in the ammonia feedstock for the Haber-Bosch process. Further explorations will be made to increase the H2:N2 ratio in the produced gas mixture.

Single step production of activated carbon from microalgae cultivated with urban wastewater

The production of activated carbon using as precursor a microalgae biomass produced in a wastewater treatment plant, consisting of an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor, followed by high-rate aerobic ponds, was studied. The harvest of microalgae biomass was carried out through coagulation with Tanfloc®, flocculation and settling. Activated carbon (AC) production was tested at 650 °C and 800 °C, with carbonization and activation performed in a single step, by the physical method with water vapor in different proportions of water mass relative to the sample mass. The specific surface area ranged from 10 to 177 m2·g−1 in samples produced at 650 °C and from 602 to 630 m2·g−1 in the ones produced at 800 °C. It is concluded that the harvested microalgae biomass can be used as a precursor of activated carbon. The best condition tested for the production of AC was carbonization at 800 °C and activation with water vapor in the ratio of 4 gwater/gsample. The results prove that the process of carbonization and physical activation can be done with water vapor in a single step and that activated carbons obtained under the highest temperature (>800 °C) are predominantly micro and mesoporous, with a predominantly aromatic structure.

Catalytic synthesis of graphite oxide and graphite nanostructures in transient glow-to-arc plasma discharge

Carbon and carbon-based materials like graphene and graphene oxide exhibit a constantly expanding field of applications in science, medicine, and industry. However, their implementation is still hindered by the absence of a reliable, flexible, and highly productive method of synthesis. Most of the existing methods rely on the use of chemical reagents potentially dangerous for the environment. In this paper, a physical method based on the use of a transient glow-to-arc discharge is developed, and the carbon nanostructures are obtained during a single-step production in a plasma reactor. Argon and oxygen are used to grow either carbon or carbon oxide nanostructures on the surfaces of expanded graphite samples. To enhance the growth of the carbon nanostructures, an anode made of copper is employed in the setup, to serve as a source of the copper catalyst. As a result, complex three-dimensional carbon nanostructures with a density of about 0.01 μm-2 were detected using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on the entire surface of the sample after the oxygen plasma treatment. An enlarged view of nanostructures shows that they are a composition of 2D and 1D nanostructures connected by jumpers, as well as the presence of tree-like and petal nanostructures with dimensions of approximately 3 μm in length and 30 nm in diameter. The replacement of oxygen with argon led to a significant change in the appearance of nanostructures. Layered 2D graphene-like and tree-like carbon nanostructures capped with copper particles of diameters up to 10 μm were found. The obtained nanostructures suggest that expanded graphite is an excellent source for the production of two-dimensional nanostructures, like graphene and graphene oxide, which can be used as components for field-effect transistors, nanofluidic applications, supercapacitors, and electromagnetic absorbers.

Single-Step Production of Alcohols and Paraffins from CO2 and H2 at Metric Ton Scale

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVEnergy FocusNEXTSingle-Step Production of Alcohols and Paraffins from CO2 and H2 at Metric Ton ScaleChi ChenChi ChenAir Company, 407 Johnson Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11206, United StatesMore by Chi Chen, Mahlet GaredewMahlet GaredewAir Company, 407 Johnson Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11206, United StatesMore by Mahlet Garedew, and Stafford W. Sheehan*Stafford W. SheehanAir Company, 407 Johnson Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11206, United States*[email protected]More by Stafford W. Sheehanhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-0432-9260Cite this: ACS Energy Lett. 2022, 7, 3, 988–992Publication Date (Web):February 16, 2022Publication History Received26 January 2022Accepted8 February 2022Published online16 February 2022Published inissue 11 March 2022https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.2c00214Copyright © Published 2022 by American Chemical SocietyRIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views1479Altmetric-Citations-LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit PDF (4 MB) Get e-AlertsSUBJECTS:Hydrocarbons,Alcohols,Bioethanol,Fossil fuels,Catalysts Get e-Alerts

Integrated co-axial electrospinning for a single-step production of 1D aligned bimetallic carbon fibers@AuNPs–PtNPs/NiNPs–PtNPs towards H2 detection

Aligned 1D heterojunction carbon nanofibers have been developed, which possess exceptional properties like high surface-to-volume ratio and excellent direct electron transport properties favouring their hydrogen sensing properties.

Controlled synthesis of luminescent ZnS nanosheets with high piezoelectric performance for designing mechanical energy harvesting device

For the first time, single-step fabrication of two-dimensional nanosheets of zinc sulfide (ZnS) was achieved employing flexible aluminum (Al) foil substrate using hydrothermal technique at 140 °C for ∼4 h. Indium doped Tin Oxide (ITO) coated on PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) substrate and ZnS deposited Al foil as a top and bottom electrodes were used to fabricate a piezoelectric device. To generate an electric potential, the top ITO electrode was tapped on the ZnS nanosheets. The open-circuit voltage, VOC of ∼400 mV was obtained and analyzed for ZnS nanosheets based nanogenerator with gentle finger taping. However, the highest output for the single nanogenerator was found to be ∼600 mV by applying toe pressure. Additionally, switching polarity and superposition experiments were utilized to confirm the nanogenerator's performance, with the findings confirming piezo-electric voltage output. This study investigates the new potential for a ZnS-based high-efficient energy harvester that can scavenge biomechanical energy for next-generation flexible self-powered electronics devices as well as a good replacement for ZnO nanosheets in 2D nanostructured based nanogenerator devices due to its simple single-step production process, low cost, and high output gain.

Single step production of styrene from benzene by alkenylation over palladium-anchored thermal defect rich graphitic carbon nitride catalyst

Styrene is a widely used monomer in polymer industries for the manufacturing of plastics, rubbers and resins. The commercial styrene production process suffers from disadvantages such as requiring multiple steps, catalyst deactivation, high energy consumption and low yield. To address the aforementioned problems, metal complex catalysed single-step oxidative coupling of benzene and ethylene to styrene have been proposed. The attempts so far for the heterogenization of metal complexes lead to worsening the catalytic performance due to metal leaching or clustering. Here, we have presented a first step towards the development of a heterogeneous catalyst to synthesize styrene directly from benzene and ethylene in a single- step. We have anchored palladium nanoparticles on the thermal defect rich surface of graphitic carbon nitride and prepared a heterogeneous catalyst ([email protected]3N4) that is active for the single-step styrene production. The product and side-products were analysed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. To understand the role of active sites, the catalysts were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy techniques. A combination of microscopic and spectroscopic characterization supports the hypothesis that the activity of [email protected]3N4 catalyst is associated with their layered structure, surface defect site, and well-stabilized palladium nanoparticles.