Mixing immiscible liquids typically requires the use of auxiliary substances including phase transfer catalysts, microgels, surfactants, complex polymers and nano- particles and/or micromixers. Centrifugally separated immiscible liquids of different densities...

A fast and sustainable technique in catalytically degrading organic dyes under flow is reported. It involves the use of three different applications of the high-shear and intense micro-mixing vortex fluidic device (VFD), including material fabrication, reactor coating, and material "banding". The active catalytic material is a composite of magnetite nanoparticles and Cu 3 (PO 4 ) 2 nanoflowers (MNPCuNFs), 8−10 μm in diameter, which are generated in the VFD within 30 min. MNPCuNFs magnetically and centrifugally held against the surface of the rapidly rotating tube in the VFD have enhanced catalytic activity in degrading four different organic dyes under real-time monitoring with at least a fivefold increase in the degradation efficiency compared to that in the batch processing. To further improve the platform performance, the VFD tube reactor was chemically modified, incorporating a thin layer of silica-activated carbon xerogel coating which behaves synergistically with the nanoflowers. This coated tube is highly stable and reusable, dramatically increasing the degradation efficiency by about 30-fold relative to using batch processing. Integrating an ultraviolet−visible spectroscopy-based probe allows real-time monitoring of the reaction and also provides a direct tool to evaluate the coating layer post reaction. This study provides a rational design of hybrid materials and the use of a modified VFD tube reactor toward efficient degradation of organic dyes in real time.

A diversity of two-dimensional nanomaterials has recently emerged with recent attention turning to the post-transition metal elements, [1-3] in particular material derived from liquid metals and eutectic melts below 330...

Reducing resistance in silicon‐based devices is important as they get miniaturized further. 2D materials offer an opportunity to increase conductivity whilst reducing size. A scalable, environmentally benign method is developed for preparing partially oxidized gallium/indium sheets down to 10 nm thick from a eutectic melt of the two metals. Exfoliation of the planar/corrugated oxide skin of the melt is achieved using the vortex fluidic device with a variation in composition across the sheets determined using Auger spectroscopy. From an application perspective, the oxidized gallium indium sheets reduce the contact resistance between metals such as platinum and silicon (Si) as a semiconductor. Current‒voltage measurements between a platinum atomic force microscopy tip and a Si−H substrate show that the current switches from being a rectifier to a highly conducting ohmic contact. These characteristics offer new opportunities for controlling Si surface properties at the nanoscale and enable the integration of new materials with Si platforms.