The conversion of waste CO2 to value‐added chemicals through electrochemical reduction is a promising technology for mitigating climate change while simultaneously providing economic opportunities. The use of non‐aqueous solvents like methanol allows for higher CO2 availability and novel products. In this work, the electrochemistry of CO2 reduction in acidic methanol catholyte at a Pb working electrode was investigated while using a separate aqueous anolyte to promote a sustainable water oxidation half‐reaction. The selectivity among methyl formate (a product unique to reduction of CO2 in methanol), formic acid, and formate was critically dependent on the catholyte pH, with higher pH conditions leading to formate and low pH favoring methyl formate. The potential dependence of the product distribution in acidic catholyte was also investigated, with a faradaic efficiency for methyl formate as high as 75 % measured at −2.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl.

Efficient electroreduction of carbon dioxide has been a widely pursued goal as a sustainable method to produce value‐added chemicals while mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Processes have been demonstrated for the electroreduction of CO2 to CO at nearly 100 % faradaic efficiency, and as a consequence, there has been growing interest in the further electroreduction of carbon monoxide. Oxide‐derived copper catalysts have promising performance for the reduction of CO to hydrocarbons but have still been unable to achieve high selectivity to individual products. A pulsed‐bias technique is one strategy for tuning electrochemical selectivity without changing the catalyst. Herein a pulsed‐bias electroreduction of CO was investigated on oxide‐derived copper catalyst. Increased selectivity for single‐carbon products (i.e., formate and methane) was achieved for higher pulse frequencies (<1 s pulse times), as well as an increase in the fraction of charge directed to CO reduction rather than hydrogen evolution.

Figure 1. Band alignment of photoanode and photocathode semiconductors relative to water oxidation and reduction potentials and material selfoxidation and self-reduction potentials. Reproduced with permission. [12]

The in situ photocorrosion of GaP is studied with a widely applicable spectroelectrochemical method, yielding insights on n vs. p+ corrosion.

Molecular NiATSM on p-Si durably photocatalyzed hydrogen evolution from water at practical conditions in acid with greater activity than Ni metal.

Slurries of semiconductor particles individually capable of unassisted lightdriven water-splitting are modeled to have a promising path to low-cost solar hydrogen generation, but they have had poor efficiencies. Tandem microparticle systems are a clear direction to pursue to increase efficiency. However, light absorption must be carefully managed in a tandem to prevent current mismatch in the subcells, which presents a possible challenge for tandem microwire particles suspended in a liquid. In this work, a Ni-catalyzed Si/TiO 2 tandem microwire slurry is used as a stand-in for an ideal bandgap combination to demonstrate proof-of-concept in situ alignment of unassisted water-splitting microwires with an external magnetic field. The Ni hydrogen evolution catalyst is selectively photodeposited at the exposed Si microwire core to serve as the cathode site as well as a handle for magnetic orientation. The frequency distribution of the suspended microwire orientation angles is determined as a function of magnetic field strength under dispersion with and without uplifting microbubbles. After magnetizing the Ni bulb, tandem microwires can be highly aligned in water under a magnetic field despite active dispersion from bubbling or convection.

The optical and magneto-optical properties of crystals of Hg1−xCdxTe (x=0.37) have been measured over the CO2 laser wavelength region. The absorption edge of this composition occurs at about 3.2 μm, and the Faraday rotation consists of interband and intraband components. The latter is very large in n-type material due to the small electron effective mass (0.052). The figure of merit of n-type material is about 1.0 deg/kOe at 10.6 μm. Optical-damage studies give a damage threshold of 160 MW/cm2, indicating application to high-power laser isolator devices.

The customer preference for over-the-counter drugs, processed food, soft drinks etc has led to reforms of the Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. The Fast-moving consumer goods industry is growing at 4% per year, which is more than the global gross domestic product (GDP). FMCG is the fourth major sector of the Indian financial system. With the increasing speed of the Ayurvedic pharmaceutical market, FMCG players like Patanjali, Dabur, Emami etc. are interested in expanding to tap the market by their portfolios. FMCG sector is divided into food and beverages, health care and household along with personal care categories. Ayurvedic FMCG industry is based on the expansion and marketing of products between food drinks, health, domestic and personal care etc. In the current scenario, more than 30,000 proprietary and 1500 classical products are available in the market. The market of Ayurvedic FMCG products is estimated to register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16% between 2016 and 2021 and will increase from current $ 500 million to $ 1.1 billion by 2021. Although many FMCG products advertise the estimated results, the Ayurvedic FMCG industry is largely irregular. Mushrooming Indian population, mainly the middle class and the rural sectors, gives a chance to manufacturers of proprietary products to refurbish consumers to proprietary products. Consumers to take precautions are derived from caution and doubt, because the shift toward natural products has gathered momentum. In addition, companies of all sizes are racing to keep pace. This manuscript reviews a snapshot of current trends in the Ayurvedic FMCG market and will provide development opportunities and strategies adopted by the multi-billion dollar market.