A reactor system for treating contaminated water is disclosed. The reactor system includes a reactor vessel having first and second end portions and an internal reactor volume defined by interior surfaces of the reactor vessel. A fluoropolymer coating is applied over at least a portion of the interior surfaces of the reactor vessel. The reactor system also includes a water inlet disposed in the first end portion and a water outlet disposed in the second end portion. At least one ultraviolet light-emitting diode (LED) is included and disposed so as to project ultraviolet light into the reactor vessel. A plurality of photo-catalyst substrates are also disposed within the internal reactor volume of the reactor vessel. Each of these substrates includes a coating of titanium dioxide applied to an outer surface of a substrate. A method for remediating contaminated water is also disclosed.

A structure includes a base material; a surface layer that contains a binder resin and a titanium compound particle having absorption at 450 nm and 750 nm in a visible absorption spectrum and a BET specific surface area within a range of 100 m.sup.2/g to 1200 m.sup.2/g.

A method for preparing a sol comprising TiO.sub.2 and ZrO.sub.2 and/or hydrated forms of TiO.sub.2 and ZrO.sub.2. The method includes mixing a material which includes metatitanic acid in an aqueous phase with a zirconyl compound or with a mixture of several zirconyl compounds. The material is provided either as a suspension or as a filter cake from the sulfate method. The material includes a H.sub.2SO.sub.4 content of 3 to 15 wt.-% relative to a quantity of TiO.sub.2 in the material. The zirconyl compound or the mixture of several zirconyl compounds is mixed in a quantity that is sufficient to provide the sol depending on the H.sub.2SO.sub.4 content.

A method and a system for producing a change in a medium disposed in an artificial container. The method places in a vicinity of the medium at least one of a plasmonics agent and an energy modulation agent. The method applies an initiation energy through the artificial container to the medium. The initiation energy interacts with the plasmonics agent or the energy modulation agent to directly or indirectly produce the change in the medium. The system includes an initiation energy source configured to apply an initiation energy to the medium to activate the plasmonics agent or the energy modulation agent.

Systems and methods for simultaneous control of carbon dioxide and nitric oxide and generation of nitrous oxide are provided. In particular, the present invention provides systems and methods utilizing a titania-based photocatalyst to simultaneously control carbon dioxide and nitric oxide levels generated by combustion systems. Additionally, photoreduction of nitric oxide provided by the photocatalyst is used to generate nitrous oxide.

A method for the preparation of zirconia-multi-walled carbon nanotube nanocomposite utilizing Pluronics as templating agents is described. An efficient method for producing hydrogen gas using the nanocomposite as a photocatalyst.

Provided herein are compositions comprising cadmium sulfide quantum dot photocatalysts and methods and systems utilizing as much (e.g., for the reduction of a nitrobenzene to an aniline).

A dielectric composition comprises a crystal of an oxynitride. A peak attributed to absence of a center of symmetry of the crystal of the oxynitride is detected by Raman spectroscopy of the dielectric composition within a Raman shift range of 500 cm.sup.1 or less.

The invention provides a process for the preparation of bismuth oxyhalide, comprising a precipitation of bismuth oxyhalide in an acidic aqueous medium in the presence of a reducing agent. Also provided are bismuth oxyhalide compounds doped with elemental bismuth Bi.sup.(0). The use of Bi.sup.(0)doped-bismuth oxyhalide as photocatalysts in water purification is also described.

Photocatalysts and methods of using the same for producing hydrogen and oxygen from water are disclosed. The photocatalysts include photoactive titanium dioxide loaded with 0.5 wt. % to 4 wt. % of a hole-scavenging material comprising cobalt oxide and 0.1 wt. % to 1 wt. % of palladium (Pd) and/or a PdCo alloy.