An apparatus for forming methane from carbon dioxide and hydrogen is described. The apparatus comprises: a dielectric barrier discharge, DBD, device arranged to generate a plasma; and a passageway having an inlet for the carbon dioxide and the hydrogen and an outlet for the methane and including therein a catalyst comprising nickel and alumina. The passageway extends, at least in part, through the DBD device wherein, in use, the carbon dioxide is exposed to the catalyst in the presence of the hydrogen in the generated plasma, thereby forming the methane from at least some of the carbon dioxide and the hydrogen. A method, a use and a catalyst are also described.

An apparatus for forming C1 to C5 alcohol, carboxylic acid, or mixture thereof from carbon dioxide and hydrogen is described. The apparatus comprises: a dielectric barrier discharge, DBD, device arranged to generate a plasma; and a passageway having an inlet for the carbon dioxide and the hydrogen and an outlet for the C1 to C5 alcohol, carboxylic acid, or mixture thereof and including therein a catalyst comprising nickel and/or cobalt and/or copper on a support. The passageway extends, at least in part, through the DBD device wherein, in use, the carbon dioxide is exposed to the catalyst in the presence of the hydrogen in the generated plasma, thereby forming the C1 to C5 alcohol, carboxylic acid, or mixture thereof from at least some of the carbon dioxide and the hydrogen. The DBD devices comprises a water electrode. A method and a catalyst are also described.

A catalyst system includes a porous polymeric base, a nanoscale metal catalyst layer disposed on the porous polymeric base, and a nanoscale electrolyte layer disposed on the metal catalyst layer. The catalyst system is used in methods to perform three-phase catalytic reactions.

A conformally metal-coated glass capillary array and method of fabricating same. A glass capillary array is provided. The glass capillary array includes a plurality of glass capillaries. The glass capillary array includes a plurality of glass capillary array walls. The plurality of glass capillary array walls define a plurality of holes. The plurality of holes includes a plurality of hole peripheries. An electroless metallization catalyst is provided around the plurality of hole peripheries. A first metal is electroless plated on the plurality of glass capillary array walls using the electroless metallization catalyst. A second metal is electroplated on the electroless-plated, first metal, or the second metal is electroless-plated on the electroless-plated, first metal.

The disclosure relates to a method for making a photocatalytic structure, the method comprising: providing a carbon nanotube structure comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes intersected with each other; a plurality of openings being defined by the plurality of carbon nanotubes; forming a photocatalytic active layer on the surface of the carbon nanotube structure; applying a metal layer pre-form on the surface of the photocatalytic active layer; and annealing the metal layer pre-form.

A method of fabricating a carbon nanotube (“CNT”) array includes providing a substrate with a CNT catalyst disposed on a surface of the substrate, heating the CNT catalyst to an annealing temperature, exposing the CNT catalyst to a CNT precursor for an exposure period to pre-load the CNT catalyst, and exposing the pre-loaded CNT catalyst to a carbon source for a growth period to form the CNT array. The formed CNT array comprises a plurality of CNT bundles that are aligned with one another in an alignment direction. At least one of the plurality of bundles comprises an average structural factor of 1.5 or less along an entirety of the length thereof.

Provided is a method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition that exhibits excellent detachability between the substrate and the photocatalyst layer and exhibits high photocurrent density. The method for producing a photocatalyst electrode for water decomposition of the invention includes: a metal layer forming step of forming a metal layer on one surface of a first substrate by a vapor phase film-forming method or a liquid phase film-forming method; a photocatalyst layer forming step of forming a photocatalyst layer by subjecting the metal layer to at least one treatment selected from an oxidation treatment, a nitriding treatment, a sulfurization treatment, or a selenization treatment; a current collecting layer forming step of forming a current collecting layer on a surface of the photocatalyst layer, the surface being on the opposite side of the first substrate; and a detachment step of detaching the first substrate from the photocatalyst layer.

A nanocomposite coating and method of making and using the coating. The nanocomposite coating is disposed on a base material, such as a metal or ceramic; and the nanocomposite consists essentially of a matrix of an alloy selected from the group of Cu, Ni, Pd, Pt and Re which are catalytically active for cracking of carbon bonds in oils and greases and a grain structure selected from the group of borides, carbides and nitrides.

A method consisting in depositing coating of a semiconductor such as TiO.sub.2 on the surface of a substrate of activated carbon in the form of grain or powder that acts by an advanced oxidation-reduction mechanism in environmental decontamination processes, by way of a heterogeneous electrocatalysis system applying an electrical potential having a magnitude equal to or greater than that of the bandgap energy of the semiconductor, which is 3.2 eV in the case of anatase TiO.sub.2, such that an electron rises from the valence band to the conduction band, leaving in its place holes, h+, with enough oxidative capacity to be able to oxidise H.sub.2O and form OH radicals.

An electrode assembly includes a first electrode and a dielectric layer on the first electrode. The dielectric layer includes a bismuth compound of the formula Bi.sub.2(CrO.sub.4).sub.2Cr.sub.2O.sub.7, Pb.sub.4(BiO.sub.4)(PO.sub.4), Ag.sub.3BiO.sub.3, Bi.sub.2CdO.sub.2(GeO.sub.4), Bi.sub.2Te.sub.4O.sub.11, Cs.sub.6Bi.sub.4O.sub.9, Na.sub.3Bi(PO.sub.4).sub.2, Bi.sub.2(SeO.sub.3).sub.3, or a combination thereof. The electrode assembly can be particularly useful in various electronic devices.