Detection of Polystyrene Microplastics up to the Single Nanoparticle Limit Using SERS and Advanced ANN Design (KANformer).

Due to uncontrolled release, gradual accumulation, low degradation rate, and potential negative impact on human health, microplastics (MPs) pose a serious environmental and healthcare risk. Thus, the spread of MPs should be at least carefully monitored to identify and eliminate their main sources, as well as to provide a suitable alarm in the case of MP concentration increase. Among various detection methods, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) poses a unique detection limit and the ability to perform outdoor measurements without preliminary sample treatment.

Dual-mode electrochemical and SERS detection of PFAS using functional porous substrate.

Human activity is the cause of the continuous and gradual grooving of environmental contaminants, where some released toxic and dangerous compounds cannot be degraded under natural conditions, resulting in a serious safety issue. Among them are the widely occurring water-soluble perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), sometimes called "forever chemicals" because of the impossibility of their natural degradation. Hence, a reliable, expressive, and simple method should be developed to monitor and eliminate the risks associated with these compounds.

Rapid and Universal Synthesis of 2D Transition Metal (Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, and W) Sulfides through Oxide Sulfurization in CS Vapor.

Transition metal (TM) sulfides belong to the class of 2D materials with a wide application range. Various methods, including solvothermal, hydrothermal, chemical vapor deposition, and quartz ampoule-based approaches, have been employed for the synthesis of TM sulfides. Some of them face limitations due to the low stability of TM sulfides and their susceptibility to oxidation, and others require more sophisticated equipment or complex and rare precursors or are not scalable.

Plasmon assisted TiCT grafting and surface termination tuning for enhancement of flake stability and humidity sensing performance.

Humidity sensors play a critical role in monitoring human activities, environmental health, food processing and storage, and many other fields. Recently, some 2D materials, particularly MXenes, have been considered as promising candidates for creating humidity sensors because of their high surface area, surface-to-bulk ratio, and excellent conductivity, arising from the high concentration and mobility of free electrons. In this work, we propose the plasmon-assisted surface modification and termination tuning of common MXene (TiCT) to enhance their response to humidity and increase their stability against oxidation.

Nitrogen Photoelectrochemical Reduction on TiB Surface Plasmon Coupling Allows Us to Reach Enhanced Efficiency of Ammonia Production.

Ammonia is one of the most widely produced chemicals worldwide, which is consumed in the fertilizer industry and is also considered an interesting alternative in energy storage. However, common ammonia production is energy-demanding and leads to high CO emissions. Thus, the development of alternative ammonia production methods based on available raw materials (air, for example) and renewable energy sources is highly demanding.

Creation and Plasmon-Assisted Photosensitization of Annealed Z-Schemes for Sunlight-Only Water Splitting.

Solely light-induced water splitting represents a promising avenue for a carbon-free energy future, based on reliable energy sources. Such processes can be performed using coupled semiconductor materials (the so-called direct Z-scheme design) that facilitate spatial separation of (photo)excited electrons and holes, prevent their recombination, and allow water-splitting half-reactions proceeding at each corresponding semiconductor side. In this work, we proposed and prepared a specific structure, based on WO/CdWO/CdS coupled semiconductors, created by annealing of a common WO/CdS direct Z-scheme.

Beyond the Platinum Era─Scalable Preparation and Electrochemical Activation of TaS Flakes.

Among 2D materials, transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) of group 5 metals recently have attracted substantial interest due to their superior electrocatalytic activity toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, a straightforward and efficient synthesis of the TMDCs which can be easily scaled up is missing. Herein, we report an innovative, simple, and scalable method for tantalum disulfide (TaS) synthesis, involving CS as a sulfurizing agent and TaO as a metal precursor.

Switchable PNIPAm/PPyNT Hydrogel for Smart Supercapacitors: External Control of Capacitance for Pulsed Energy Generation or Prolongation of Discharge Time.

Supercapacitors based on nonresponsive polymer hydrogels are gaining significant attention due to their fabrication simplicity and high potential for wearable electronics. However, the use of smart hydrogels in supercapacitor design remains unexplored. In this work, a smart externally controlled supercapacitor based on a temperature-responsive hydrogel doped with polypyrrole nanotubes (PPyNTs) is proposed.

Enantioselective SERS sensing of pseudoephedrine in blood plasma biomatrix by hierarchical mesoporous Au films coated with a homochiral MOF.

Here, we present a new family of hierarchical porous hybrid materials as an innovative tool for ultrasensitive and selective sensing of enantiomeric drugs in complex biosamples via chiral surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Hierarchical porous hybrid films were prepared by the combination of mesoporous plasmonic Au films and microporous homochiral metal-organic frameworks (HMOFs). The proposed hierarchical porous substrates enable extremely low limit of detection values (10 M) for pseudoephedrine in undiluted blood plasma due to dual enhancement mechanisms (physical enhancement by the mesoporous Au nanostructures and chemical enhancement by HMOF), chemical recognition by HMOF, and a discriminant function for bio-samples containing large biomolecules, such as blood components.

Application of a 2D Molybdenum Telluride in SERS Detection of Biorelevant Molecules.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenides have become promising candidates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), but currently very few examples of detection of relevant molecules are available. Herein, we show the detection of the lipophilic disease marker β-sitosterol on few-layered MoTe films. The chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown films are capable of nanomolar detection, exceeding the performance of alternative noble-metal surfaces.

Can Plasmon Change Reaction Path? Decomposition of Unsymmetrical Iodonium Salts as an Organic Probe.

Plasmon-assisted transformations of organic compounds represent a novel opportunity for conversion of light to chemical energy at room temperature. However, the mechanistic insights of interaction between plasmon energy and organic molecules is still under debate. Herein, we proposed a comprehensive study of the plasmon-assisted reaction mechanism using unsymmetric iodonium salts (ISs) as an organic probe.

Single Plasmon-Active Optical Fiber Probe for Instantaneous Chiral Detection.

The chiral recognition of organic compounds is of vital importance in the field of pharmacology and medicine. Unfortunately, the common analytical routes used in this field are significantly restricted by time spent and equipment demands. In this work, we propose an unprecedented alternative, aimed at enantiomer discrimination and estimation of their concentrations in an uncomplicated and instantaneous manner.

Fast and All-Optical Hydrogen Sensor Based on Gold-Coated Optical Fiber Functionalized with Metal-Organic Framework Layer.

Remote detection of hydrogen, without the utilization of electronic component or elevated temperature, is one of the hot topics in the hydrogen technology and safety. In this work, the design and realization of the optical fiber-based hydrogen sensor with unique characteristics are proposed. The proposed sensor is based on the gold-coated multimode fiber, providing the plasmon properties, decorated by the IRMOF-20 layer with high selectivity and affinity toward hydrogen.