0000000000938909
AUTHOR
Federica Arcidiacono
Self-cleaning ZnO/ITO/PET Bending Sensors
The design of multifunctional materials is of pivotal importance for developing wearable biosensors. In particular, the advancement in self-cleaning materials suitable for bending sensors, i.e. devices able to track human body movements for healthcare monitoring [1], has raised much interest in recent pandemic times. Such technology can be facilitated by leveraging piezo-photocatalytic cleaning effects under visible light [2]. Herein, we show a new class of ZnO-based nanosheets (NSs) synthesized in aqueous solution (85 °C, 24 hours) onto seeded or seedless ITO/PET surfaces that couple sensing to photocatalysis. UV-vis and FT-IR spectroscopies show the typical absorption peaks of ZnO. A nano…
Bone diagenesis of archaeological human remains from Apulia (Italy) investigated by ATR-FTIR and XRF spectroscopy
The analysis of the organic and mineral content of biological samples allows to define post-mortem alterations and the preservation status of ancient human remains. Here, we report a physical-chemical characterization of bone specimens from some skeletal remains found in Apulia (Italy) dating back to the prehistoric, classic-hellenistic, and medieval periods. Specific infrared band ratios from Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform InfraRed and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopies were considered to evaluate the extent of the diagenetic process and the elemental composition of bone.Physical-chemical post-mortem transformations were related to the soil composition and specificity of tis…
Self-Cleaning Bending Sensors Based on Semitransparent ZnO Nanostructured Films
The design of multifunctional nanostructured materials is the key to the development of smart wearable devices. For instance, nanostructures endowed with both piezoelectric and photocatalytic activities could well be the workhorse for solar-light-driven self-cleaning wearable sensors. In this work, a simple strategy for the assembly of a flexible, semitransparent piezophotocatalytic system is demonstrated by leveraging rational wet chemistry synthesis of ZnO-based nanosheets/nanoflowers (NSs/NFs) under basic pH conditions onto flexible ITO/PET supports. A KMnO4 pretreatment before the ZnO synthesis (seeded ZnO) allows for the control of the density, size, and orientation of the NSs/NFs syst…
Nanosponge-C3N4 composites as photocatalysts for selective partial alcohol oxidation in aqueous suspension
A set of four composite materials was prepared, consisting of a nanosponge matrix based on beta-cyclodextrin in which carbon nitride was dispersed. The materials were characterized by the presence of diverse cross-linker units joining the cyclodextrin moieties, in order to vary the absorption/release abilities of the matrix. The composites were characterized and used as photocatalysts in aqueous medium under UV, visible and natural solar irradiation for the photodegradation of 4-nitrophenol, and for the selective partial oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and veratryl alcohol to the corresponding aldehydes. The nanosponge-C3N4 composites showed higher activity than the pristine semiconduc…