No abstract

A well-aligned mesoporous thin layer was formed by spin-coating followed by the burn-out of its organic components at 500 °C. This film, prepared by an inorganic sol–gel process using block copolymers as a sacrificial template, showed mesoporous (mp) and crack-free layers with various pore sizes depending on the amount of 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (TMB), which acted as a swelling agent. The mesoporous photoanodes were used in the fabrication of CH3NH3Pb(I0.9Br0.1)3 perovskite-based solar cells. The cells showed overall power conversion efficiencies of 11.7% and 12.8% with the 10 and 15 nm mp-layers, respectively. The superior performance shown in the 15 nm mp-layers may be attributed to the easier filling of CH3NH3Pb(I0.9Br0.1)3 by bigger pore sizes, and the efficiency is comparable with that of the reference cell fabricated by TiO2 paste. This template-induced self-organizing sol–gel process was shown to be a useful technique for depositing mesoporous photoanodes in the fabrication of perovskite-based solar cells.

In many developing countries, phosphate contamination from public and private wastewater disposal causes eutrophication of water bodies. The development and implementation of efficient, consistent and cost-effective techniques to remove phosphorus from wastewater is essential to restore and maintain ecological balance. In the present article, a new nanosized core/shell structure containing a magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) core and mesoporous ZrO 2 shell (Fe 3 O 4 @mZrO 2 ) with a BET surface area of 107 m 2 g À1 synthesized using an inexpensive synthesis protocol has been demonstrated as an efficient sorbent system for removal of phosphate. The mesoporous ZrO 2 shell in the Fe 3 O 4 @mZrO 2 imparts excellent adsorption capability for phosphate ions while the Fe 3 O 4 core cooperates in easy and rapid magnetic separation. The developed system exhibits a phosphate adsorption capacity of up to $90% along with the dependency on the initial pH and initial P concentration of the experimental solution. Regeneration through the treatment with a KOH-KCl mixture allows Fe 3 O 4 @mZrO 2 reuse.

No abstract

No abstract