N-/Si-co-doped nanocrystalline diamonds as highly sensitive luminescent thermometers.

Diamonds can host a variety of luminescent point defects, such as nitrogen vacancies and silicon vacancies, making them remarkably promising materials for luminescence nanothermometry. They also exhibit desirable characteristics, including low cytotoxicity, good biocompatibility and the benefits of carbon chemistry for tuneable surface functionalization with target molecules. In this work, N-/Si co-doped nanocrystalline diamonds were synthesized microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition under varying methane flow and temperature conditions, aiming for maximum photoluminescence intensity.

On the enhancement of the efficiency of concentrated solar power plants using nanofluids based on a linear silicone fluid and Pt nanoparticles.

To reduce greenhouse emissions and producing electricity with the smallest environmental impact, developing solar power technology is one of the most important milestones to achieve. Thus, to improve the efficiency of the concentrated solar power (CSP) plants, with lower environmental impact, is of great interest. This work reports the development of nanofluids, a colloidal suspension of nanomaterials in a fluid, based on an environment-friendly base fluid for improving the performance of the heat transfer process in CSP plants.

Thermal Energy Storage in Concrete by Encapsulation of a Nano-Additivated Phase Change Material in Lightweight Aggregates.

This work discusses the applicability of lightweight aggregate-encapsulated -octadecane with 1.0 wt.% of Cu nanoparticles, for enhanced thermal comfort in buildings by providing thermal energy storage functionality to no-fines concrete.

Probing the thermal resistance of solid-liquid interfaces in nanofluids with molecular dynamics.

The significance of interfacial thermal resistance in the thermal conductivity of nanofluids is not well understood, in part because of the absence of measurements of this quantity. Here, we study the interfacial thermal resistance for metal-oil nanofluids of interest as heat transfer fluids for concentrating solar power, using density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulations. Insights on the role of chemical interactions in determining the interfacial thermal resistance are revealed.

Synthesis, Characterization and Photocatalytic Performance of Calcined ZnCr-Layered Double Hydroxides.

The development of new materials for performing photocatalytic processes to remove contaminants is an interesting and important research line due to the ever-increasing number of contaminants on our planet. In this sense, we developed a layered double hydroxide material based on Zn and Cr, which was transformed into the corresponding oxide by heat treatment at 500 °C. Both materials were widely characterized for their elemental composition, and structural, morphological, optical and textural properties using several experimental techniques such as x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy and physisorption techniques.

The Role of the Interactions at the Tungsten Disulphide Surface in the Stability and Enhanced Thermal Properties of Nanofluids with Application in Solar Thermal Energy.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMCs) exhibit unique properties that make them of interest for catalysis, sensing or energy storage applications. However, few studies have been performed into nanofluids based on TMCs for heat transfer applications. In this study, nanofluids based on 2D-WS are prepared by liquid phase exfoliation to analyze their potential usage in concentrating solar power plants.

A Solvothermal Synthesis of TiO₂ Nanoparticles in a Non-Polar Medium to Prepare Highly Stable Nanofluids with Improved Thermal Properties.

Nanofluids are systems with several interesting heat transfer applications, but it can be a challenge to obtain highly stable suspensions. One way to overcome this challenge is to create the appropriate conditions to disperse the nanomaterial in the fluid. However, when the heat transfer fluid used is a non-polar organic oil, there are complications due to the low polarity of this solvent.

MoS/Cu/TiO nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization and effect on photocatalytic decomposition of methylene blue in water under visible light.

Photodegradation processes are of great interest in a range of applications, one of which is the photodecomposition of pollutants. For this reason, analysing nanoparticles that improve the efficiency of these processes under solar radiation are very necessary. Thus, in this study, TiO was doped with Mo and Cu using low-temperature hydrolysis as the method of synthesis.