A. Kukovecz

• University of Szeged

In this study, we discuss the influence of carbon support on the performance of platinum nanoparticles (Pt-NPs) in gas-phase CO2 hydrogenation towards industrially demanding CO production. To this end, Pt-supported on graphite oxide, carboHIPE, activated carbon, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), and graphite of different specific surface areas...

Mechanochemical activation of organic reactions is a simple and efficient way of preparing complex molecules by an environmentally benign method. Although, various asymmetric catalytic reactions were found to proceed smoothly by milling, enantioselective Michael additions of nucleophiles to maleimide derivatives, providing valuable chiral succinimi...

Human dental enamel is a uniquely hard and tough biological realization of the inherently brittle apatite crystal. In sound enamel both structure and chemistry are organically fine-tuned, while developmental disorders - such as hypomineralization - often lead to severe enamel alterations resulting in weaker mechanical performance and shorter lifeti...

Continuous and disordered fibrous mats are ubiquitous multi‐scalar materials endowed with diverse functionalities and nonlinear mechanical properties. Gaining deeper insights into mechanical properties, such as tensile strength and breaking elongation, can broaden the scope of potential applications for these fibrous mats across various fields. Her...

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used in various industries and are increasingly found in environmental systems, especially in soil. However, the environmental behavior of TiO2 NPs is still poorly understood. Hence, this study aims to fill this gap by investigating the short- and long-term effects of soil solutions on anatase...

Carbon fibers, driven by ever-increasing demand, are contributing to a continuous rise in the generation of waste and byproducts destined for landfills or incineration. Recycling carbon fibers presents a promising strategy for reducing carbon emissions and conserving resources, thus contributing to more sustainable waste management practices. Disco...

A comprehensive analysis of kidney stones is essential for the future treatment of patients. Almost all of the methods available for kidney stone analysis were used in this study. The chemical analysis included powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA-DSC). Following the ch...

In this study, we report a base‐catalyzed transesterification reaction of glycerol, a waste product of the biodiesel industry, with various dialkyl carbonates, which act both as reactants and solvents, to convert glycerol carbonate into an industrially useful molecular building block. The catalyst, being used for the first time, is also a waste pro...

Liquid phase direct amination of phenols to primary anilines with hydrazine was achieved using commercial NiLa-perosvkite catalysts as bifunctional Lewis acid/redox-active catalysts without adding any external hydride sources. The amination...

Using a co-precipitation technique, the anionic form of sulisobenzone (benzophenone-4) sunscreen ingredient was incorporated into the interlayer space of CaFe-hydrocalumite for the first time. Using detailed post-synthetic millings of the photoprotective nanocomposite obtained, we aimed to study the mechanochemical effects on complex, hybridized la...

Surface modification, including the anchoring of functional groups is a popular method to increase the photocatalytic activity of semiconductor photocatalysts. These species can trap excited electrons, thus prolonging the life of the charge carriers. N-containing functional groups are suitable for this purpose due to their high electron density. He...

Calcium titanate (CTO) photocatalysts were synthesized using a sol–gel method by adopting a cost-efficient, rapid calcination technique. The CTOs were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption, porosimetry measurements, scanning/transmission electron microscopy, and diffuse r...

High-entropy oxides with five different metal content in the lattice lead to a striking carbon dioxide photoactivator catalyst toward carbon monoxide and methanol production.

Herein, we investigate the potential of nanostructured high-entropy oxides (HEOs) for photocatalytic CO 2 hydrogenation, a process with significant implications for environmental sustainability and energy production. Several cerium-oxide-based rare-earth HEOs with fluorite structures were prepared for UV-light driven photocatalytic CO 2 hydro-genat...

Nanotechnology, especially in the field of photocatalysis, has witnessed rapid advancements, with titanium dioxide being one of the most widely used photocatalysts. As the use of products containing photoactive nanomaterials increases, concerns have arisen regarding their potential release into the environment over time. This release can impact soi...

Different Co contents were used to tune bimetallic Pt–Co nanoparticles with a diameter of 8 nm, resulting in Pt:Co ratios of 3.54, 1.51, and 0.96. These nanoparticles were then applied to the MCF-17 mesoporous silica support. The synthesized materials were characterized with HR-TEM, HAADF-TEM, EDX, XRD, BET, ICP-MS, in situ DRIFTS, and quasi in sit...

The presence of alkaline earth cations, in particular, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ ions in brine, causes undesired effects in solutions containing anionic surfactants because of precipitate formation. In the present study, an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), was investigated, focusing on the determination of various properties (surface tension,...

The effect of the gradually formed cross-linked structure on the thermal properties and swelling behaviour of modified poly(vinyl alcohol) was investigated. To this aim, the semi-crystalline polymer was functionalized with aldehyde and amino moieties to produce polymers with dynamic imine cross-links, and, thus, with self-healing or curing ability....

The implementation of supported metal catalysts heavily relies on the synergistic interactions between metal nanoparticles and the material they are dispersed on. It is clear that interfacial perimeter sites have outstanding skills for turning catalytic reactions over, however, high activity and selectivity of the designed interface‐induced metal d...

CeNiO3 has been reported in the literature in the last few years as a novel LnNiO3 compound with promising applications in different catalytic fields, but its structure has not been...

Nanotechnology has emerged as a rapidly growing scientific field with diverse applications. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles are among the most commonly used nanoparticles due to their unique properties. However, their release...

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles are extensively utilized across various industries due to their versatile applications. However, the widespread use of these nanoparticles raises concerns regarding their potential release into soil...

The implementation of supported metal catalysts heavily relies on the synergistic interactions between metal nanoparticles and the material they are dispersed on. It is clear that interfacial perimeter sites have outstanding skills for turning catalytic reactions over, however, high activity and selectivity of the designed interface‐induced metal d...

Using the ion migration in various gel mediums governed by a direct electric field is a well-known technique, especially in analytical chemistry, to separate charged chemical species. This approach is also suitable for generating different-sized crystals and controlling the pattern formation in gels. Here we present a synthesis of zeolitic imidazol...

The activation and conversion of CO2 can be achieved on multifunctional catalytic sites at the metal/oxide interface by taking advantage of the synergy between noble metal nanoparticles and supports. Herein, sequential deposition of noble metals (Ru, Rh, and Pt) and nanodiamonds (NDs) was carried out on the surface of strontium titanates (STO). The...

Hypothesis Reduced graphene oxide (rGO/polycation/sulfur) composites are promising cathode materials for Li-S battery applications because homogeneously dispersed sulfur nano/micro clusters in suitable carbon hosts enable remarkable cycle life for Li-S battery cells. New, benign and economic synthesis methods based only on aqueous colloidal dispers...

Purpose: Recently, a novel approach to apicoectomy has emerged, involving the use of a hollow trephine with a surgical guide. This innovative technique creates a semicircular section, in contrast to the conventional straight cut (with a bur). The semicircular shape of this section raises questions about the method’s effectiveness in eliminating sup...

In practically every industry, mixing is a fundamental process, yet its 3D analysis is scarce in the literature. High-resolution computed tomography (micro-CT) is the perfect X-ray imaging tool to investigate the mixing of granular materials. Other than qualitative analysis, 3D micro-CT images provide an opportunity for quantitative analysis, which...

High‐resolution computed tomography (micro‐CT) was used in this paper to visualize the inner structure of lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide 18 650 form‐factor batteries non‐destructively after and during a heat endurance test. Open circuit relaxation and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were also conducted. We tested the different heat‐age...

Oxidative dehydrogenative coupling (ODC) is a useful tool for the formation of new C–C, C–O and N=N bonds in an atom-economic and sustainable manner. Although this strategy is versatile, it is much less introduced to prepare N-heterocycles. Herein, we report the oxidative dehydrogenative coupling of anilines and 2-aminoanilies with vicinal diols to...

Certain industrially relevant performance metrics of CO2 electrolyzers have already been approached in recent years. The energy efficiency of CO2 electrolyzers, however, is yet to be improved, and the reasons behind performance fading must be uncovered. The performance of the electrolyzer cells is strongly affected by their components, among which...

We report base-catalyzed upgrading of bio-based levulinic acid to methyl levulinate fuel additive with the assistance of microwave (MW) irradiation. During the reactions, formation of crystalline sodium, potassium, rubidium levulinate intermediates occurred. The methylation potential of dimethyl carbonate was found to be excellent at 120 °C under M...

Strontium titanate (STO) photocatalysts were prepared via a slightly modified Pechini sol–gel method. A unique rapid calcination technique with a short exposure time was used to obtain crystalline products. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy,...

Anionic surfactants, such as sodium linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (NaLAS), are utilized in various fields, including industry, household, and agriculture. The efficiency of their use in aqueous environments is significantly affected by the presence of cations, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ in particular, as they can decrease the concentration of the surfactant du...

Glucose-to-fructose isomerization is the key process in the reaction sequence that can lead to the total conversion of biomass into valuable fine chemicals. However, it is challenging to find an...

In this work bilayer structures, composed of ferromagnetic manganite and ferroelectric titanate layers, were obtained by solution deposition technique. The first step in preparation of the bilayer thin films was deposition of manganite (LaMnO3 or La0.7Sr0.3MnO3) layer by water-based polymer assisted deposition (PAD). Polycrystalline structures were...

The steam reforming of ethanol (SRE) is a key process for the production of H2 and other vital hydrocarbons. The present work describes the synthesis of Platinum‐Gallium (Pt−Ga) nanoalloys supported on mesostructured cellular foam (MCF‐17) via ultrasound‐assisted impregnation method. Ga was substituted with Pt in different wt.% i. e. Pt/MCF‐17, Pt9...

Dentitions of the sympatric herbivorous dinosaurs Hungarosaurus (Ankylosauria, Nodosauridae) and Mochlodon (Ornithopoda, Rhabdodontidae) (Santonian, Hungary) were analysed to investigate their dietary ecology, using several complementary methods—orientation patch count, tooth replacement rate, macrowear, tooth wear rate, traditional microwear, and...

This article describes the quantitative analysis of the 3D orientation of objects (i.e. particles and voids) within pottery fabrics to differentiate two categories of pottery hand-building primary forming techniques, specifically percussion-building and coil-building, comparing the use of two independent non-destructive imaging modalities, X-ray mi...

The kinetics of dissolution of kaolinite in industrial spent liquor followed by the precipitation of the desilication product was studied by using calcined and dimethyl sulfoxide intercalated Eckalite1 as starting material. These studies were aimed at understanding the influence of the combination of different pre-treatments on the variations in th...

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of air sterilization and disinfection. Besides the regular cleaning and disinfection of surfaces it is at least as important to reduce the number of airborne microorganisms as they are known to play an important role in the spreading of different infections. Herein, we report a facile preparation...

This work investigates the effect of the Potassium promoter and the calcination temperature on the catalytic activity in the dry reforming of methane reaction and compares the performance of the Ni, Co, Fe–Al2O3 trimetallic catalysts with the reference Ni–Al2O3. Although higher activity was achieved with the Ni–Al2O3, trimetallic catalysts resulted...

The quantitative analysis of datasets achieved by single molecule localization microscopy is vital for studying the structure of subcellular organizations. Cluster analysis has emerged as a multi-faceted tool in the structural analysis of localization datasets. However, the results it produces greatly depend on the set parameters, and the process c...

Efficient conversion of CO2 into CH4 and CO brings an important opportunity to get valuable feedstock for a variety of industrially important reactions as both CH4 and CO are widely used as starting materials for the synthesis of valuable fuels and chemicals. Herein, we synthesized sub-nanometer (<2nm) Platinum (Pt), Ruthenium (Ru) and Rhodium (Rh)...

Cooperative Bi(III)/Co(II) and Bi(III)/Mn(II) heterogeneous catalysts have been developed enabling efficient oxidative annulations for preparing both cross-coupled imines and benzimidazoles under ambient conditions in an atom-economic and time-efficient manner, involving ambient air as oxidant and without the need of any other additives. This is th...

Electrospun is a unique class of porous and heterogeneous materials with multi-length-scales constituents that offer a rich variety of surface functionalities to serve a host of applications. Upscaling the electrospun materials from the laboratory to the industry is often limited by the lack of understanding of their mechanical properties. Herein,...

Effective oxidative transformation of toluene into valuable products was achieved under solvent‐free reaction conditions with as‐prepared nickel nanoparticles as heterogeneous catalysts in liquid phase. The crystalline structure and size of the as‐prepared nanoparticles were confirmed by X‐ray diffractometry (XRD) and dynamic light scattering (DLS)...

A quick overview of the increasing pollutants worldwide shows a parallel movement toward strict legalization to limit contamination of air before it gets out of hand, however, in this paper, we are discussing a source of emissions that is yet to receive its’ deserved attention rendered in non-road mobile machinery. Our proposal to solve this issue...

Most of the research dealing with the use of agro-waste as concrete aggregate implement agro-waste as a partial replacement of fine/coarse aggregate without any prior treatment of its surface. This paper investigates the influence of the complete replacement of fine/coarse aggregate with fruit pits (grape or cherry pits) on the properties of harden...

The recently re-discovered, unique amber named ajkaite, coming from the Late Cretaceous (Santonian) Ajka Coal Formation is an unexpectedly rich source of arthropod inclusions. The present paper describes three new species of wasps from ajkaite, namely Ajkanesia harmincipsziloni Szabó & Brazidec gen. et sp. nov. (Bethylidae: Pristocerinae), Amissidi...

A simple synthetic route of preparing NiAl4-layered double hydroxides (LDHs) was developed. First, Al(OH)3 was pretreated by using high-energy dry-milling. This was followed by impregnation with moderately concentrated aqueous Ni-salt solutions with different counter anions under mild conditions. Using this protocol, beside the already known NiAl4-...

In this study, clay composites were subjected to electromagnetic transmission testing at frequencies in the region of non-ionizing radiation. Specimens were made with partial substitution of clay with different admixtures by mass. Admixtures used were Fly Ash, four different particle sizes and phases of Titanium Dioxide (TiO2), Zinc Ferrite (ZnFe2O...

Black phosphorus‐based 2D materials have yet to demonstrate their full application potential because of the well‐known sensitivity of phosphorene to spontaneous oxidation under ambient conditions. It is hypothesized that this unfavorable process can be prevented by drop‐casting hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) nanosheets on phosphorene. Here, both ma...

Mechanochemistry is a method that can cover the energy demand of reaction pathways between solid materials. This requires enough energy to maintain the reactions between the starting materials. This is called “high-energy milling”. In our case, a planetary ball mill provided the required energy. Using the Burgio-equation, the required energy is det...

With the recent emergence of highly transmissible variants of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the demand for N95 respirators is expected to remain high. The extensive use of N95 respirators by the public is susceptible to demand‐supply gaps and raises concern about their disposal, threatening the environment with a new kind of plastic pollution....

Ni enhanced CeO2 based catalysts were tested in CO2 hydrogenation reaction with the objective to investigate the importance and role of Ni⁰ and Ni⁰-NiO-CeO2−x interfaces. Two materials were prepared: a 4 mol% NiO/CeO2 interfacial oxide where CeO2 supports NiO nanoparticles was produced by wet impregnation method and a Ce0.96Ni0.04O2 mixed oxide was...

Strontium titanates were prepared with different morphologies by varying the ratio of solvents used during the synthesis. The effects of morphology and solvent (ethylene glycol to water) ratio were investigated both on the structure and photocatalytic activity of the samples. Structural properties were determined by X-ray diffraction, scanning elec...

Mechanochemistry offers a versatile method to synthesize metal oxides by the reaction of the corresponding metal salt and Na2CO3, with CO2 as a by-product. It is possible to monitor the progress of the reaction and even calculate conversion values based on the measured pressure increase in the milling equipment. We studied the kinetics of tin oxide...

In this work, the properties of mechanochemically produced (by using mills made from different materials) barium-titanate (BaTiO 3 ) and zinc-titanate (ZnTiO 3 ) perovskites are compared. Mechanochemistry is a process that can cover the energy demand of some reaction pathways between solid materials. This process is called “high-energy milling”, fo...