Articles including a solid porous material having a selenium nanomaterial bound to a surface of and within the solid porous material. The article may be a include no polymeric stabilizer or proteinaceous stabilizer. The solid porous material may be a sponge, a film, a fabric, a non-woven material, or a metal-organic framework (MOF), or a combination thereof. The article may be produced by treating a solid porous material with an aqueous selenous acid solution and heating the solid porous material to form the selenium nanomaterial on the surface of and within the solid porous material.

Processes for synthesizing substrate-free twinned 2D tellurium crystals with co-existing opposite chirality, and twinned 2D tellurium crystals produced thereby. The substrate-free twinned 2D tellurium crystals include a first wing and a second wing, the first wing and second wing have opposite chirality, and the first wing and the second wing are joined together at an angle to form a V-shaped crystal.

Processes for synthesizing substrate-free twinned 2D tellurium crystals with co-existing opposite chirality, and twinned 2D tellurium crystals produced thereby. The substrate-free twinned 2D tellurium crystals include a first wing and a second wing, the first wing and second wing have opposite chirality, and the first wing and the second wing are joined together at an angle to form a V-shaped crystal.

The invention relates to elemental selenium nanoparticles, especially a product containing selenium nanoparticles, that can be produced from at least one organic compound and at least one selenium source, with a step of drying by atomisation. The invention also relates to a method for producing such a product and to a method for enriching, with elemental selenium nanoparticles, a product which already comprises elemental selenium nanoparticles.

The invention relates to elemental selenium nanoparticles, especially a product containing selenium nanoparticles, that can be produced from at least one organic compound and at least one selenium source, with a step of drying by atomisation. The invention also relates to a method for producing such a product and to a method for enriching, with elemental selenium nanoparticles, a product which already comprises elemental selenium nanoparticles.

A method is provided for forming a metal battery electrode with a pyrolyzed coating. The method provides a metallorganic compound of metal (Me) and materials such as carbon (C), sulfur (S), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), and combinations of the above-listed materials, expressed as Me.sub.XC.sub.YN.sub.ZS.sub.XXO.sub.YY, where Me is a metal such as tin (Sn), antimony (Sb), or lead (Pb), or a metal alloy. The method heats the metallorganic compound, and as a result of the heating, decomposes materials in the metallorganic compound. In one aspect, decomposing the materials in the metallorganic compound includes forming a chemical reaction between the Me particles and the materials. An electrode is formed of Me particles coated by the materials. In another aspect, the Me particles coated with a material such as a carbide, a nitride, a sulfide, or combinations of the above-listed materials.

A method of synthesizing biogenic elemental selenium nanostructure using Enterobacter cloacae and its application. The method uses E. cloacae Z0206 to reduce selenite to zero valence selenium and forms nano-sized elemental selenium particles, including steps of inoculating activated E. cloacae Z0206 to fermentation broth, adding sodium selenite solution, shaking and incubating, collecting the fermentation broth and separating the elemental selenium nanoparticles.

A first aspect of the present invention relates to a process for recovering crystalline elemental selenium (Se) from an aqueous composition, such as waste water or groundwater. A second aspect of the present invention further relates to a microbial sludge comprising crystalline elemental selenium, which sludge may be used in the further recovery of elemental selenium.

A first aspect of the present invention relates to a process for recovering crystalline elemental selenium (Se) from an aqueous composition, such as waste water or groundwater. A second aspect of the present invention further relates to a microbial sludge comprising crystalline elemental selenium, which sludge may be used in the further recovery of elemental selenium.

A method is provided for forming a metal battery electrode with a pyrolyzed coating. The method provides a metallorganic compound of metal (Me) and materials such as carbon (C), sulfur (S), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), and combinations of the above-listed materials, expressed as Me.sub.XC.sub.YN.sub.ZS.sub.XXO.sub.YY, where Me is a metal such as tin (Sn), antimony (Sb), or lead (Pb), or a metal alloy. The method heats the metallorganic compound, and as a result of the heating, decomposes materials in the metallorganic compound. In one aspect, decomposing the materials in the metallorganic compound includes forming a chemical reaction between the Me particles and the materials. An electrode is formed of Me particles coated by the materials. In another aspect, the Me particles coated with a material such as a carbide, a nitride, a sulfide, or combinations of the above-listed materials.