TY - JOUR AU - Szamosvölgyi, Ákos AU - Pitó, Ádám AU - Efremova, Anastasiia AU - Baán, Kornélia AU - Kutus, Bence AU - Suresh, Mutyala AU - Sápi, András AU - Szenti, Imre AU - Kiss, János AU - Kolonits, Tamás AU - Fogarassy, Zsolt AU - Pécz, Béla AU - Kukovecz, Ákos AU - Kónya, Zoltán TI - Optimized Pt–Co Alloy Nanoparticles for Reverse Water–Gas Shift Activation of CO 2 JF - ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS J2 - ACS APPL NANO MATER VL - 7 PY - 2024 SP - 9968 EP - 9977 PG - 10 SN - 2574-0970 DO - 10.1021/acsanm.4c00111 UR - https://m2.mtmt.hu/api/publication/34832862 ID - 34832862 LA - English DB - MTMT ER - TY - JOUR AU - Solymos, Karolina AU - Babcsányi, Izabella AU - Ariya, Badam AU - Gyulavári, Tamás AU - Ágoston, Áron AU - Kukovecz, Ákos AU - Kónya, Zoltán AU - Pap, Zsolt TI - Environmental significance of the interaction between titanium dioxides and soil solutions JF - ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES EUROPE J2 - ENVIRON SCI EUR VL - 36 PY - 2024 IS - 1 SN - 2190-4707 DO - 10.1186/s12302-024-00903-y UR - https://m2.mtmt.hu/api/publication/34826699 ID - 34826699 AB - Nanotechnology, especially in the field of photocatalysis, has witnessed rapid advancements, with titanium dioxide being one of the most widely used photocatalysts. As the use of products containing photoactive nanomaterials increases, concerns have arisen regarding their potential release into the environment over time. This release can impact soil, groundwater, and surrounding ecosystems, resulting in nanoparticles being dispersed in water and eventually depleted from the system. This study aimed to investigate how different soil solutions affect the structural, textural properties, and photocatalytic activity of titanium dioxide-based, commercial reference Evonik Aeroxide P25. The Regosol soil solution, characterized by acidic pH, low ionic content, and high organic matter content, induced nanoparticle aggregation and bandgap changes. In addition, the acidic pH hindered the adsorption process, potentially affecting the photocatalytic processes. In contrast, the Chernozem soil solution, with slightly alkaline pH, high ionic content, and low organic matter content, did not significantly alter the morphology or structure of the material. However, various organic compounds were absorbed on the surface, reducing the availability of active sites. The study highlights the importance of understanding the influence of soil solutions on nanomaterials, as it impacts their properties and environmental risks. Results show that the material is still activated, i.e., it can exert its photoactive effect on the environment. This sheds light on the challenges posed by nanoparticles in soil, particularly in terms of their toxicity and consequences for the surrounding ecosystems. The study underlines the need for further research in this area to assess potential risks and optimise the use of nanomaterials in environmental remediation. LA - English DB - MTMT ER - TY - JOUR AU - Bús, Csaba AU - Kocsis, Marianna AU - Ágoston, Áron AU - Kukovecz, Ákos AU - Kónya, Zoltán AU - Sipos, Pál TI - Application of Alcohols to Inhibit the Formation of Ca(II) Dodecyl Sulfate Precipitate in Aqueous Solutions JF - MATERIALS J2 - MATERIALS VL - 17 PY - 2024 IS - 8 SN - 1996-1944 DO - 10.3390/ma17081806 UR - https://m2.mtmt.hu/api/publication/34826232 ID - 34826232 AB - The presence of alkaline earth cations, in particular, Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions in brine, causes undesired effects in solutions containing anionic surfactants because of precipitate formation. In the present study, an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), was investigated, focusing on the determination of various properties (surface tension, critical micelle concentration, micelle size, turbidity) in the presence of alcohols and, in particular, the inhibition of the precipitation of SDS with calcium ions. The calcium ions were added to the surfactant in increasing concentrations (3.0–10.0 g/L), and short-carbon-chain alcohols (methanol, ethanol, n-propanol and n-butanol) were used to shift the onset of precipitate formation. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of SDS in the presence of alcohols was also determined. It was established that among these alcohols, methanol and ethanol did not exert significant effects on the solubility of the Ca(DS)2 precipitate, while n-propanol and n-butanol were found to be much more efficient inhibitors. In addition, all the alcohols in the applied concentration range (up to 20 V/V%) were found to decrease the critical micelle concentration of SDS. LA - English DB - MTMT ER - TY - JOUR AU - Fazekas, Ákos Ferenc AU - Gyulavári, Tamás AU - Ágoston, Áron AU - Janovák, László AU - Heszlerné Kopniczky, Judit AU - László, Zsuzsanna AU - Veréb, Gábor TI - Enhanced Photocatalytic and Filtration Performance of TiO2-Ag Composite-Coated Membrane Used for the Separation of Oil Emulsions JF - SEPARATIONS J2 - SEPARATIONS VL - 11 PY - 2024 IS - 4 SP - 112 SN - 2297-8739 DO - 10.3390/separations11040112 UR - https://m2.mtmt.hu/api/publication/34823133 ID - 34823133 AB - Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes were coated with TiO2 and TiO2-Ag to enhance their efficiency for oil-in-water emulsion separation. The photocatalytic activities of the two modified membranes and their filtration performances were compared in detail. The significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity of the TiO2-Ag composite was proved using a methyl orange (MO) solution (c = 10−5 M) and a crude oil emulsion (c = 50 mg·L−1). The TiO2-Ag-coated membrane reduced the MO concentration by 87%, whereas the TiO2-modified membrane reached only a 46% decomposition. The photocatalytic reduction in the chemical oxygen demand of the emulsion was also ~50% higher using the TiO2-Ag-coated membrane compared to that of the TiO2-coated membrane. The photoluminescence measurements demonstrated a reduced electron/hole recombination, achieved by the Ag nanoparticle addition (TiO2-Ag), which also explained the enhanced photocatalytic activity. A significant improvement in the oil separation performance with the TiO2-Ag-coated membrane was also demonstrated: a substantial increase in the flux and flux recovery ratio (up to 92.4%) was achieved, together with a notable reduction in the flux decay ratio and the irreversible filtration resistance. Furthermore, the purification efficiency was also enhanced (achieving 98.5% and 99.9% COD and turbidity reductions, respectively). Contact angle, zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements were carried out to explain the results. SEM and AFM images revealed that on the TiO2-Ag-coated membrane, a less aggregated, more continuous, homogeneous, and smoother nanolayer was formed due to the ~50% more negative zeta potential of the TiO2-Ag nanocomposite compared to that of the TiO2. In summary, via Ag addition, a sufficiently hydrophilic, beneficially negatively charged, and homogeneous TiO2-Ag-coated PVDF membrane surface was achieved, which resulted in the presented advantageous filtration properties beyond the photocatalytic activity enhancement. LA - English DB - MTMT ER - TY - JOUR AU - Mészáros, Rebeka Ildikó AU - Szabó, Vivien AU - Kutus, Bence AU - Baán, Kornélia AU - Kónya, Zoltán AU - Kukovecz, Ákos AU - Sipos, Pál Miklós AU - Szabados, Márton TI - Continuous-flow hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde over catalysts derived from modified CoAl4 layered double hydroxides incorporating Mn, Ni, Cu and Zn ions JF - APPLIED CATALYSIS A-GENERAL J2 - APPL CATAL A-GEN VL - 679 PY - 2024 PG - 14 SN - 0926-860X DO - 10.1016/j.apcata.2024.119738 UR - https://m2.mtmt.hu/api/publication/34801853 ID - 34801853 N1 - Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Szeged, Eötvös utca 6, Szeged, H-6720, Hungary Materials and Solution Structure Research Group, Interdisciplinary Excellence Centre, Institute of Chemistry, University of Szeged, Aradi vértanúk tere 1, Szeged, H-6720, Hungary Department of Molecular and Analytical Chemistry, University of Szeged, Dóm tér 7-8, Szeged, H-6720, Hungary Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich B. tér 1, Szeged, H-6720, Hungary MTA-SZTE Reaction Kinetics and Surface Chemistry Research Group, Rerrich B. tér 1, Szeged, H-6720, Hungary Export Date: 8 May 2024 CODEN: ACAGE Correspondence Address: Szabados, M.; Materials and Solution Structure Research Group, Aradi vértanúk tere 1, Hungary; email: szabados.marton@chem.u-szeged.hu Funding details: Nemzeti Kutatási Fejlesztési és Innovációs Hivatal, NKFIH, GINOP-2.3.4-15-2020-00006 Funding details: BO/00246/21/7 Funding details: Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, MTA, ÚNKP-23-5-SZTE-714, ÚNKP-22-5-SZTE-589 Funding text 1: The authors are very thankful for the financial support from the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (GINOP-2.3.4-15-2020-00006). M\\u00E1rton Szabados gratefully acknowledges the support of Bolyai Janos Research Fellowship (BO/00246/21/7) of the Hungarian Academy of Science and the \\u00DANKP-23-5-SZTE-714 New National Excellence Program of the Ministry for the Innovation and Technology from the Source of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office. Funding text 2: The authors are very thankful for the financial support from the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (GINOP-2.3.4-15-2020-00006). M\\u00E1rton Szabados gratefully acknowledges the support of Bolyai Janos Research Fellowship (BO/00246/21/7) of the Hungarian Academy of Science and the \\u00DANKP-22-5-SZTE-589 New National Excellence Program of the Ministry for the Innovation and Technology from the Source of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office. LA - English DB - MTMT ER - TY - JOUR AU - Nánai, Lilla AU - Németh, Zoltán AU - Kaptay, György AU - Hernádi, Klára TI - Experimental and theoretical aspects of the growth of vertically aligned CNTs by CCVD on AZO substrate JF - SCIENTIFIC REPORTS J2 - SCI REP VL - 14 PY - 2024 IS - 1 SN - 2045-2322 DO - 10.1038/s41598-024-57862-w UR - https://m2.mtmt.hu/api/publication/34762909 ID - 34762909 AB - An efficient and reproducible growth of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes by CCVD requires accurate and specific setting of the synthesis parameters and the properties of catalyst thin layers. In this work, the growth of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes onto AZO (= aluminum doped zinc oxide) glass substrate covered by Al 2 O 3 and Fe-Co catalyst layer system is presented. Investigation of the effect of catalyst composition and synthesis temperature on CVD growth revealed the optimum condition of the synthesis. The analysis of as-prepared samples by SEM, TEM and Raman spectroscopy was carried out to prove the structure and quality of carbon deposit. Theoretical considerations have supported speculative ideas about the role of the support layer, the transformation of the catalyst layer in the presence of hydrogen gas and the growth mechanism of carbon nanotubes. The mechanism of CNT growth is modelled and the order of magnitude of experimentally observed vertical linear growth rate of CNT (several nm/s) is reproduced. LA - English DB - MTMT ER - TY - JOUR AU - Papp, Paszkál AU - Tóth, Ágota AU - Horváth, Dezső TI - Population Mass Balance Model for Precipitation with Turbidity Measurements JF - ACS OMEGA J2 - ACS OMEGA VL - 9 PY - 2024 IS - 11 SP - 13412 EP - 13417 PG - 6 SN - 2470-1343 DO - 10.1021/acsomega.3c10516 UR - https://m2.mtmt.hu/api/publication/34728312 ID - 34728312 LA - English DB - MTMT ER - TY - JOUR AU - El Aouni, Aicha AU - El Ouardi, Mohamed AU - Arab, Madjid AU - Saadi, Mohamed AU - Haspel, Henrik AU - Kónya, Zoltán AU - Ben Ali, Abdelkader AU - Jada, Amane AU - BaQais, Amal AU - Ait Ahsaine, Hassan TI - Design of Bismuth Tungstate Bi2WO6 Photocatalyst for Enhanced and Environmentally Friendly Organic Pollutant Degradation JF - MATERIALS J2 - MATERIALS VL - 17 PY - 2024 IS - 5 SP - 1029 SN - 1996-1944 DO - 10.3390/ma17051029 UR - https://m2.mtmt.hu/api/publication/34688462 ID - 34688462 AB - In this study, a chemical precipitation approach was adopted to produce a photocatalyst based on bismuth tungstate Bi2WO6 for enhanced and environmentally friendly organic pollutant degradation. Various tools such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, were employed to assess the structural and morphological properties. Hence, the XRD profiles showed a well crystallized Bi2WO6 orthorhombic phase. The photocatalytic performance of the resulting photocatalyst was assessed by the decomposition of Rhodamine B (RhB) and methyl orange (MO) with a decomposition efficiency of 97 and 92%, along with the highest chemical oxygen demand of 82 and 79% during 120 min of illumination, respectively. The principal novelty of the present work is to focus on the changes in the crystalline structure, the morphology, and the optical and the photoelectrochemical characteristics of the Bi2WO6, by tuning the annealing temperature of the designed photocatalyst. Such physicochemical property changes in the as-prepared photocatalyst will affect in turn its photocatalytic activity toward the organic pollutant decomposition. The photocatalytic mechanism was elaborated based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, photocurrent analysis, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and radical trapping measurements. The overall data indicate that the superoxide O2•− and holes h+ are the principal species responsible for the pollutant photodegradation. LA - English DB - MTMT ER - TY - JOUR AU - Rónavári, Andrea AU - Ochirkhuyag, Altantuya AU - Igaz, Nóra AU - Szerencsés, Bettina AU - Ballai, Gergő AU - Huliák, Ildikó AU - Bocz, Csenge AU - Kovács, Ákos AU - Pfeiffer, Ilona AU - Csontné Kiricsi, Mónika AU - Kónya, Zoltán TI - Preparation, characterization and in vitro evaluation of the antimicrobial and antitumor activity of MnOx nanoparticles JF - COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A : PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS J2 - COLLOID SURFACE A VL - 688 PY - 2024 SN - 0927-7757 DO - 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2024.133528 UR - https://m2.mtmt.hu/api/publication/34687262 ID - 34687262 LA - English DB - MTMT ER - TY - JOUR AU - Varga, Gábor AU - Nguyen, Thanh-Truc AU - Wang, Jing AU - Tian, Dihua AU - Zhang, Run AU - Li, Li AU - Xu, Zhi Ping TI - Isomorphic Insertion of Ce(III)/Ce(IV) Centers into Layered Double Hydroxide as a Heterogeneous Multifunctional Catalyst for Efficient Meerwein–Ponndorf–Verley Reduction JF - ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES J2 - ACS APPL MATER INTER VL - 16 PY - 2024 IS - 9 SP - 11453 EP - 11466 PG - 14 SN - 1944-8244 DO - 10.1021/acsami.3c16732 UR - https://m2.mtmt.hu/api/publication/34685180 ID - 34685180 AB - The development of highly active acid-base catalysts for transfer hydrogenations of biomass derived carbonyl compounds is a new, pressing challenge. Solid Frustrated Lewis Pairs (FLP) catalysis is possibly a solution but the development of this concept is still at a very early stage. Herein, by inserting Ce(III)/Ce(IV) centers into layered double hydroxide (MgAlCe–LDH), effective, selective and recyclable solid acid-base catalysts were synthesized, which enabled efficient transfer hydrogenation (MPV reduction) of biomass derived carbonyl compounds to corresponding alcohols. The cooperative, FLP-like interplay between the active sites of Ce(III)/Ce(IV) and the aluminum-containing defect sites formed by the incorporation of cerium into the lattice of LDH is necessary to maximize the catalytic efficiency. Furthermore, the crucial role of the surface hydroxyl groups in the MPV reactions and the negative impact of the interlamellar/adsorbed water molecules on the catalytic activity of MgAlCe-LDH were demonstrated. These solid FLP-like acid-base catalysts exhibited excellent catalytic performance (cyclohexanol yield of 45%; furfuryl alcohol yield of 51%), which is competitive or superior to the benchmark, Sn- and Zr-containing zeolite catalysts, under mild reaction conditions, especially low temperature (T = 65°C in the case of cyclohexanol production). Our research has indicated that Ce-containing LDH is a potentially commercial solid FLP catalysts. LA - English DB - MTMT ER -