A simple, one-step method for producing a homogenous CeO.sub.2—TiO.sub.2 composite thin film using aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition (“CVD”) of a solution containing triacetatocerium (III) and tetra isopropoxytitanium (IV) on a fluorine-doped tin oxide (“FTO”) substrate at a temperature ranging from about 500 to about 650° C. Methods for using the film produced by this method.

A variety of particles forming microencapsulated thermochromic materials. The particles can include a thermochromic core and a metal oxide shell encapsulating the thermochromic core. The thermochromic core can include one or both of an organic thermochromic material and an inorganic salt thermochromic material. In some aspects, the particles include a dye selected from a crystal violet lactone dye, a fluoran dye, and a combination thereof. In still further aspects, the particles include a color developer selected from a hydroxybenzoate, a 4,4′-dihydroxydiphenyl propane, a hydroxycoumarin derivative, a lauryl gallate, and a combination thereof. In some aspects, the metal oxide shell is a TiO.sub.2 shell. The particles can be used in cements and paints and for a variety of building materials. Methods of making the particles and building materials and methods of use, for example, for removing a volatile organic carbon from a building material, are also provided.

A polymerization apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a light irradiator; and a polymerization vessel. The light irradiator includes a first casing and a light source assembly. The first casing includes a light source chamber defined by cylindrical side walls, a ceiling, and a floor including a light-transmissive window member. The light source assembly includes a base having a light-emitting surface on which a plurality of light-emitting diodes is disposed in a predetermined pattern and a heat-dissipating surface to which a heat sink is joined, and the light source assembly is disposed within the light source chamber so that the light-emitting surface faces the light-transmissive window member. The polymerization vessel includes a polymerization cup and a second casing. The polymerization cup has a frustoconical or substantially frustoconical shape that opens upward and increases in diameter upward, and is capable of housing an object therein. The second casing is a bottomed cylindrical or box-shaped casing having an opening at the apex thereof, the polymerization cup being attachably/detachably housed in the second casing via the opening. In this polymerization apparatus, light that has been emitted by the plurality of light-emitting diodes of the light irradiator and has passed through the light-transmissive window member is applied to the inside of the polymerization cup of the polymerization vessel.

In an apparatus producing hydrogen gas by the decomposition reaction of water using photocatalyst, its miniaturization is achieved while suppressing the decrease of production efficiency of hydrogen gas as low as possible or improving the efficiency. The apparatus 1 comprises a container portion 2 receiving water W; a photocatalyst member 3 immersed in the water, having photocatalyst which generates excited electrons and positive holes when irradiated with light, causes a decomposition reaction of the water and generates hydrogen gas; a light source 4 emitting the light irradiated to the photocatalyst member; and a heat exchange device 7 conducting waste heat of the light source to the water in the container portion; wherein the water to be decomposed on the photocatalyst member in the container portion is warmed by the waste heat of the light source by the heat exchange device.

Described herein are systems incorporating a Casimir cavity, such as an optical Casimir cavity or a plasmon Casimir cavity. The Casimir cavity modifies the zero-point energy density therein as compared to outside of the Casimir cavity. The Casimir cavities are paired in the disclosed systems with product generating devices and the difference in zero-point energy densities is used to directly drive the generation of products, such as chemical reaction products or emitted light.

Systems and methods for producing nitrates, nitric acid, salts thereof, or a mixture thereof are disclosed. The systems may include a feed conduit configured for receiving a feed stream comprising molecular oxygen and molecular nitrogen; an inlet conduit configured for receiving an inlet stream; a plasma reactor fluidically coupled to the inlet conduit, the plasma reactor fluidically coupled to a reactor-outlet conduit configured for receiving the reactor-outlet stream, the plasma reactor configured to produce oxidized nitrogen species; and an absorber fluidically coupled to the reactor-outlet conduit, the absorber configured to receive the reactor outlet stream and to produce nitrates, nitrites, nitric acid, salts thereof, or a mixture thereof from the reactor outlet stream. A recycle conduit may be fluidically coupled to the absorber and the inlet conduit, wherein the recycle conduit is configured to receive the gas-phase stream from the absorber and provide the gas-phase stream to the inlet conduit.

The present invention provides an improved photochemical rector assembly device, particularly a light emitting diode (LED) based small photochemical reactor and methods for performing the photochemical transformations using the instantly presented device. Accordingly, the present invention relates to an improved photochemical transformation reaction by exposing the reaction mixture to a photochemical rector device as shown in fig. A-G, comprising of (i) light emitting diode (LED) panel (1), (ii) Aluminium based heat sink, and (iii) cooling fan.

Described herein are systems and methods of storing and delivering electrical using hydrogen at low-cost and for long-durations. The systems and methods use energy-bearing redox pairs that electrochemically bear energy through decoupled hydrogen and oxygen consumption and/or evolution reactions, which are typically associated with fuel cells. Each species of the energy-bearing redox pair is associated with a standard electrode potential within a water electrolysis voltage window for the electrolyte solution. Electrical energy delivery, hydrogen generation, electrolyte regeneration, or combinations thereof can be performed by logically or physically separated unit operations in a continuous manner, batch manner, or semi-batch manner facilitated by the energy-bearing redox pair.

Improvement in the efficiency of carbon dioxide reduction reaction is achieved. A gas supply unit having a plurality of pores is established in a lower portion of a reduction chamber, and carbon dioxide is supplied as bubbles into an aqueous solution. This can elevate a concentration of carbon dioxide dissolved in the aqueous solution without stirring the aqueous solution using a stirring bar, and render the concentration uniform in the aqueous solution. Therefore, the efficiency of reduction reaction of carbon dioxide in a reduction electrode can be improved.

Disclosed is an LED light source photocatalytic tubular reactor and application thereof. The LED light source photocatalytic tubular reactor comprises an LED light source, a temperature control chamber and a transparent reaction pipeline; the transparent reaction pipeline is located in the temperature control chamber; at least one side of the temperature control chamber is a light-transmitting plate; the LED light source provides a light source for the transparent reaction pipeline through the light-transmitting plate; and the transparent reaction pipeline has a diameter-to-length ratio of the inner diameter to the length of 0-0.1, but not 0. The LED light source continuous photocatalytic tubular reactor of the present disclosure can eliminate the scaling up effect, increase the yield and allow continuous production with an advantage of easy to use and low cost. The tubular reaction device of the present disclosure can also realize automatic control, which can effectively reduce personnel costs and improve production safety.