Disclosed herein is a process for the conversion of polymers, oligomers, or mixtures thereof into shorter alkanes, carboxylic acids, alcohols, alkyl halides or aldehydes. This process includes contacting the polymers, oligomers, or mixtures thereof with the compound of formula (I):

Al(R.sup.1).sub.3  (I)

where R.sup.1 is independently selected at each occurrence thereof from the group consisting of H, aryl, C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl, and C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkoxy, as a reaction mixture, in the presence of a catalyst selected from the group consisting of a transition metal catalyst, a lanthanide series metal catalyst, or combinations thereof.

A method for obtaining a photocatalytic polymer is provided. The method is carried out by mixing aluminium trihydroxide (ATH) and a photocatalytic particle in a polar solvent at a pH between 5 and 7 under stirring, adding silane or siloxane, stirring for a period of time of 100 min at a temperature between 30 and 50° C., extracting the solid phase being formed and drying for obtaining a photocatalytic additive, adding the photocatalytic additive to an acrylic or polyester resin and polymerizing. The method may be applied onto any type of polymer base, such as vinyl, fluoropolymers, polyamide, polycarbonates, polyethylene or epoxides. Another aspect of the invention is the photocatalytic additive being obtained. The resulting polymer shows catalytic homogeneity, operating the photocatalytic particles in all the surfaces of the material with the same activity.

The invention relates to heterogeneous catalysts comprising an organo-ruthenium complex immobilized to an aluminum-modified inorganic oxide by a chemical bond between a tetra-coordinated aluminum atom on a surface of the aluminum-modified inorganic oxide and an amino or imino nitrogen of the organo-ruthenium complex, methods of preparing the heterogeneous catalysts including immobilizing the organo-ruthenium complex to a tetra-coordinated aluminum atom on a surface of an inorganic oxide by reacting an amino or imino nitrogen of the organo-ruthenium complex and an aluminum-modified inorganic oxide, followed by a defined heat treatment, as well as methods for producing hydrogen from formic acid using the heterogeneous catalysts.

In one aspect, the disclosure relates to catalysts for electrochemical water splitting, in particular catalysts useful for oxygen evolution at an anode in electrochemical water splitting. The disclosed catalysts compositions comprise a catalyst core component, a shell component, and optionally a catalyst outer component; wherein the catalyst core component comprises a composition having the chemical formula M.sub.xP.sub.y; where M is a transition metal; wherein x is a number from about 1 to about 20; wherein y is a number from about 1 to about 20; wherein the shell component comprises a conducting polymer; and wherein the catalyst outer component is a transition metal that is not the same as the transition metal M. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

The present invention relates to a nanomaterial comprising a nanoclay having a layered structure and carbon nanotubes being intercalated between layers of the layered of the nanoclay, and manufacturing method thereof.

Disclosed are compositions for degrading organic compounds, the composition comprising a support comprising one or more of a polyolefin and a compound comprising silicon and an acid anhydride of the structure:

##STR00001##

grafted to the polyolefin and/or the compound comprising silicon; and one or more metal oxides bound with the acid anhydride; wherein A is a cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, or fused ring system comprising at least one unconjugated -ene group. Also disclosed are processes for making the composition, and methods for degrading organic compounds in a fluid.

The present invention provides magnetic macroporous polymeric hybrid scaffolds for supporting and enhancing the effectiveness of bionanocatalysts (BNC). The novel scaffolds comprise cross-linked water-insoluble polymers and an approximately uniform distribution of embedded magnetic microparticles (MMP). The cross-linked polymer comprises polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and optionally additional polymeric materials. The scaffolds may take any shape by using a cast during preparation of the scaffolds. Alternatively, the scaffolds may be ground to microparticles for use in biocatalytic reactions. Alternatively, the scaffolds may be shaped as beads for use in biocatalyst reactions. Methods for preparing and using the scaffolds are also provided.

A plant protection agent includes a photocatalyst particle containing a titanium oxide compound. The surface of the photocatalyst particle is modified with a metal compound that includes a metal atom and a hydrocarbon group. The photocatalyst particle has absorption at a wavelength of 550 nm.

The present invention discloses a selective hydrogenation catalyst and a preparation method and an application thereof, belonging to the technical field of catalysts. The selective hydrogenation catalyst comprises an active component and a carrier for supporting the active component, wherein the active component is a transition metal particle, the carrier is modified by a flexible chain ligand in advance, one end of the flexible chain ligand is uniformly distributed on the surface of the carrier, and the other end of the flexible chain ligand is coordinated on a transition metal. When the catalyst is used for catalytic hydrogenation reaction of dehydrolinalool or 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol, the stability is good, the catalyst still has high selectivity after being used for a long time, and the quality of a hydrogenation product can be guaranteed.

The present invention discloses a selective hydrogenation catalyst and a preparation method and an application thereof, belonging to the technical field of catalysts. The selective hydrogenation catalyst comprises an active component and a carrier for supporting the active component, wherein the active component is a transition metal particle, the carrier is modified by a flexible chain ligand in advance, one end of the flexible chain ligand is uniformly distributed on the surface of the carrier, and the other end of the flexible chain ligand is coordinated on a transition metal. When the catalyst is used for catalytic hydrogenation reaction of dehydrolinalool or 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol, the stability is good, the catalyst still has high selectivity after being used for a long time, and the quality of a hydrogenation product can be guaranteed.