Adriana Zaleska-Medynska

University of Gdańsk | UG · Faculty of Chemistry

Here, we present for the first time an efficient platform for simultaneous H 2 generation and CO 2 conversion into HCOOH, utilizing a Cu-incorporated NH 2 -MIL-125(Ti) material with triethanolamine as the sacrificial agent.

Antibiotics are extensively used in human medicine, aquaculture, and animal husbandry, leading to the release of antimicrobial resistance into the environment. This contributes to the rapid spread of antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs), posing a significant threat to human health and aquatic ecosystems. Conventional wastewater treatment methods often...

Abstract Perovskites are attractive structures for photocatalytic hydrogen generation, but also are limited by low stability, which can be improved by combination with other materials. Perovskite structures have potential for photocatalytic hydrogen generation; however, their practical application is hindered by inherent low stability. This limita...

The use of heterogeneous photocatalysis in biologically contaminated water purification processes still requires the development of materials active in visible light, preferably in the form of thin films. Herein, we report nanotube structures made of TiO2/Ag2O/Au0, TiO2/Ag2O/PtOx, TiO2/Cu2O/Au0, and TiO2/Cu2O/PtOx obtained via one-step anodic oxida...

In the field of polymers and organometallic chemistry, a significant gap is apparent in the area of research on well‐defined metal complexes targeted for using in catalysis leading to olefinic oligomers and polymers. Here, we report on the use in these processes the dipicolinate oxovanadium(IV) complexes, without and with auxiliary ligands, i. e. 1...

Microplastics (MPs) are plastic particles between 0.1 and 5,000 µm in size that can contaminate food. Unfortunately, to date, little attention has been paid to analyzing the presence of such particles in baby foods. The present study aimed to determine the degree of contamination of infant formula with MPs. A total of thirty products were subjected...

This study describes the synthesis and characterisation of a hybrid material consisting of titanium dioxide nanotube arrays (TiO 2 NTs) modified by platinum nanoparticles (Pt-TiO 2 NTs) via radiolysis and a conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) layer, for the first time. The NTs were fabricated by a two-step anodic oxidation process a...

Archaeological traditional lime mortars are susceptible to many environmental conditions such as the impact of water (rain, humidity, groundwater, etc.), variation of temperatures' degrees, wind and/or pollution. Accordingly, this research aims to provide newly assessed multifunctional Nano-coating for the purpose of archaeological lime mortar prot...

The ubiquity of microplastics (MPs) is a more and more frequently brought up topic. The fact that such particles are present in food raises particular concern. Information regarding the described contamination is incoherent and difficult to interpret. Problems appear already at the level of the definition of MPs. This paper will discuss ways of exp...

The production of graphitic carbon nitride was studied with the addition of a following exfoliation step using ultrasounds, at different times. The treatment produced catalysts with much higher surface areas, from 2.18 m2 g−1 with no treatment to 28.34 m2 g−1 after 36 h of exfoliation. During exfoliation, melem was also produced, and may further en...

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is a promising catalyst for contaminants of emerging concern removal applications, especially as a visible-light-driven material. In this study, g-C3N4 catalysts were effectively synthesized through a simple thermal polymerization method, using melamine, urea, and thiourea as precursors to elucidate the influence o...

ZnIn2S4 (ZIS) is one of the widely studied photocatalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution applications due to its prominent visible light response and strong reduction ability. However, its photocatalytic glycerol reforming performance for hydrogen evolution has never been reported. Herein, the visible light driven BiOCl@ZnIn2S4 (BiOCl@ZIS) co...

In this study, we successfully prepared Bi-based single perovskites of the A3Bi2I9 type (A = Cs, Rb, MA, FA), and, for the first time, attempted to experimentally obtain double perovskites Cs2B'BiI6 type (B′ = Ag, Au, In, Cu). Despite the premises available in theoretical studies, our research has proven the impossibility of the existence of double...

The ineffective removal of drugs in conventional wastewater treatment plants causes the search for new, effective and environmentally friendly methods. The promising alternatives consist photoelectrocatalysis. However, there is still lack of information about applied it for anticancer drugs removal and the influence of process conditions on its eff...

Designable morphology and predictable properties are the most challenging goals in material engineering. Features such as shape, size, porosity, agglomeration ratio significantly affect the final properties of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and can be regulated throughout synthesis parameters but require a deep understanding of the mechanisms of M...

Various metal-organic framework (MOF)/TiO 2 heterostructures can be obtained by the partial hydrolysis or calcination of Ti-based MOFs. By adjusting the hydrolysis and calcination steps of NH 2 -MIL-125 (Ti), a novel photoactive...

Graphitic carbon nitride was investigated as an efficient and cheap catalyst for the degradation of a mixture of parabens through photo-aided processes. The ozone and g-C3N4 system was explored to obtain lacking necessary information regarding this combination for the proposed contaminants. The influence of key parameters was investigated to better...

A facile and effective plasma sputtering method for the preparation of a visible light active photocatalyst - rhombic dodecahedral silver phosphate Ag3PO4 covered with nanographene (Ag3PO4-GR) with improved stability has been developed. Proposed method allows for the usage of readily available materials for nanographene sputtering and for easy scal...

Glycolysis usually is catalyzed via homogenous (metal acetates, metal chlorides, metal carbonates) and heterogeneous catalysts (metal oxides, nanoparticles)1. Selected MOFs (namely MIL-53, UiO-66-NH2, Mg-MOF-74 and ZIF-8) were investigated regarding catalytic applications as they can combine the advantages of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis...

We compared the activity enhancement effect of noble metal deposited on TiO2 in photocatalytic nitrogen oxides oxidation. Titanium dioxide was decorated with Ag, Au, Pt or Pd in the sol-gel process. Synthesized catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller measurement (BET), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS),...

Surface distribution of quantum dots (QDs) at the semiconductor matrix caused by synthesis condition (e.g. pH of solution during coupling) could lead to different photocatalytic activity. Thus, achieving an optimal covering of semiconductor matrix by QDs has been challenging. Herein, the influence of the alkalinity level of aqueous decoration mediu...

An efficient and durable utilization of light to drive photocatalytic reactions still requires the overcoming of barriers. Herein, two-dimensional (2D) ultrathin IL_Bi2WO6 (IL_BWO) photocatalysts were prepared for the first time via ionic liquid-assisted hydrothermal route by adjusting the amount of tetrabutylammonium chloride [TBA][Cl], synthesis...

The presence of different contaminants in the worldwide waters and wastewater and their impacts should motivate their good elimination and water management. With this, photocatalysis and photocatalytic ozonation are strong solutions to obtain good quality reclaimed water, for different applications. Nanostructured supported photo-active catalysts,...

Novel Ln-MOF with microrods shape were successfully combined with ZnIn2S4 (ZIS) microsphere and used for photocatalytic hydrogen generation under UV–Vis and visible light. The Ln-MOFs/ZIS system comprises lanthanide-carboxylate coordination networks (Tm and Gd as metal ions, and 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (BTC) as the organic linker) deposited...

The increasing interest in the usage of clean technologies pointed toward the photocatalytic evolution of hydrogen. Consequently, an appropriate analytical procedure becomes mandatory to detect and quantify the produced hydrogen in different photocatalytic systems so that the quantification, as well as the photocatalytic experiment is reliable and...

In recent years, the growing interest in applying photoelectrocatalysis (PEC) to decompose organic pollutants has resulted in the need to search for new photoelectrode materials with high activity under visible light radiation. The presented research showed an increased photoelectrocatalytic activity under sunlight of Ti/TiO2 sensitized with SnS qu...

Titanium-substituted cerium-oxo-based UiO MOFs with terephthalate linkers modified by various groups (-Br,-NH2 ,-NO2) or their derivatives (N-heterocyclic or biphenyl groups) were combined with titanium dioxide in a multistep route to obtain a core-shell-like architecture. DFT simulations showed that Ce-and bimetallic Ti/Ce-MOFs exhibited different...

The use of metal halide perovskites in photocatalytic processes has been attempted because of their unique optical properties. In this work, for the first time, Pb-free Bi-based perovskites of the Cs3Bi2X9 type (X=Cl, Br, I, Cl/Br, Cl/I, Br/I) were synthesized and subjected to comprehensive morphological, structural, and surface analyses, and photo...

Nowadays, studies are carried out on the design and synthesis of new catalysts for olefin oligomerization and polymerization, which would contain non-toxic metals and at the same time show high catalytic activities. Complex compounds of transition metal ions such as Fe(II), Cr(III) and Zr(II) containing pyridine or quinoline as ligands show at leas...

Microplastics (MPs) pollution is one of the most important problems of the Earth. They have been found in all the natural environments, including oceans and the atmosphere. In this study, the concentrations of both atmospheric and marine MPs were measured over the Baltic along a research cruise that started in the Gdansk harbour, till the Gotland i...

Titanium(IV) oxide, titania, photocatalyst particles were prepared from titanium alkoxide in the presence of several kinds of ionic liquids, and it was clarified that a group of samples exhibited photocatalytic activity for phenol degradation under the irradiation of light of wavelength >400 nm higher than those of the other group of samples. Altho...

Ordered titanium dioxide nanotube arrays fabricated via electrochemical route are considered as a promising material for photocatalytic applications. Due to their amorphous character, a subsequent crystallization step is usually required. In this work, well-aligned nanotube arrays were annealed under flowing gas streams of different compositions (a...

A novel two-step ionic liquid assisted procedure was applied for a controllable synthesis of BiOBr/Bi2WO6 heterojunction thin films. The preparation route involved an anodic oxidation of tungsten foil and hydrothermal transformation of as-anodized oxide in the presence of bismuth precursor and ionic liquid, N-butylpyridinium bromide [BPy][Br]. The...

The increasing air pollution taking place in virtue of human activity has a novel impact in our health. Heterogeneous photocatalysis is a promising way of degrading volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that makes the quest of new and improved photocatalysts of great importance. Herein, perovskite-related materials ATiO3 with A = Mg, Ni, Co, Zn were sy...

Insufficient knowledge on multiple processes at the interface of different phases of one-dimensional titanium dioxide (1D TiO2) photoanodes hinders the efficiency of solar-powered hydrogen production in a photoelectrochemical cell. Density functional theory (DFT) and experimental studies were performed to identify the interface characteristics of t...

The contemporary search for new catalysts for olefin oligomerization and polymerization is based on the study of coordinating compounds and/or organometallic compounds as post-metallocene catalysts. However known catalysts are suffered by many flaws, among others unsatisfactory activity, requirement of high pressure or instability at high temperatu...

Wastewater arising from manganese phosphate coating contains plenty of biogenic compounds, heavy metals such as nickel, iron, manganese, and therefore also constitutes a serious threat to the environment. The combined method of removing pollutants from wastewater from manganese phosphate coating consisting of coagulation, ozonation and Fenton react...

The evolution of the analytical techniques allowed the detection of pollutants so called contaminants of emerging concern (CEC). Water scarcity is a reality lived by some populations. Thus, water reuse is mandatory to minimize this problematic. This implies that wastewater treatments must be improved. The Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOP) such as...

In search a hydrogen source, we synthesized TiO2-Cu-graphene composite photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution. The catalyst is a new and unique material as it consists of copper-decorated TiO2 particles covered tightly in graphene and obtained in a fluidized bed reactor. Both, reduction of copper from Cu(CH3COO) at the surface of TiO2 particles and c...

To gain insights into how the presence of the second metal in Ti alloys affects the morphology, crystallinity, chemical structure, and photocatalytic/photoelectrochemical activity of mixed-oxide nanotubes (TiO2–MxOy), five systems were electrochemically synthesized in a fluoride-containing ethylene glycol-based electrolyte by using Ti alloys, with...

The contemporary search for new catalysts for olefin oligomerization and polymerization is based on the study of coordinating compounds and/or organometallic compounds as post-metallocene catalysts. However known catalysts are suffered by many flaws, among others unsatisfactory activity, requirement of high pressure or instability at high temperatu...

Highly efficient and quite stable composite with core-shell-like architecture reported herein, responds to the challenge of sunlight-driven photocatalysts. The Ln(ndc)/TiO2 photocatalytic system comprises active lanthanide-carboxylate coordination networks (Nd, Er, Ho, and Tm as metal ions, and 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylic acid as the organic linke...

Applied cutting-edge electronic structure and phonon simulations provide a reliable knowledge about the stability of perovskite structures and their electronic properties, which are crucial for design of effective nanomaterials. Gold is one of the exceptional elements, which can exist both as a monovalent and a trivalent ion in the B site of a doub...

The growing research interest on photoelectrocatalysis has encouraged the search for new materials with high activity and the development of methods for their synthesis. The successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method is an effective way to synthesize materials with photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) properties that are active under visi...

Most efforts in heterogeneous photocatalysis are focused on development of new and stable photoactive materials efficient in degradation of various pollutants under visible-light irradiation. In this regard, the wide-bandgap perovskite semiconductors, i.e., SrTiO3 (titanate), SrSnO3 (stannate) and AgTaO3 (tantalate), were prepared by a solvothermal...

A new and active material in the form of ZnIn2S4 microspheres decorated by CuInS2 quantum dots have been obtained by hydrothermal method for the first time. The optimum amount of CuInS2 quantum dots (1.13 wt.%) introduced into rection medium during ZnIn2S4 microspheres synthesis increased the photocatalytic H2 generation rate by 2.5 times than that...

The design of an active, stable and efficient photocatalyst that is able to be used for hydrogen production is of great interest nowadays. Therefore, four methods of AgTaO3 perovskite synthesis, such as hydrothermal, solvothermal, sol-gel and solid state reactions, were proposed in this study to identify the one with the highest hydrogen generation...

Enhancing the efficiency of solar light utilization and understanding the acquired mechanism of photocatalytic reactions are the critical goals in the field of heterogeneous photocatalysis. To meet growing demands, the up-conversion particles (UCPs) have become an attractive perspective to extend the absorption spectrum of UV-active photocatalysts....

The purpose of this book is to present the principles and fundamentals of metal oxide-based heterogeneous photocatalysis and highlight the current developments and future potential of applications of unitary metal oxides, as well as their hybrids with noble metal nanoparticles and other semiconductors. The book consists of three main chapters, pres...

Taking our current environmental situation in the world into consideration, people should face growing problems of air and water pollution. Heterogeneous photocatalysis is a highly promising tool to improve both air and water quality through decomposition/mineralization of contaminants directly into harmless CO 2 and H 2 O under ambient conditions....

Titanium dioxide can present advantages when coupled with ozonation. Moreover, the catalytic ozonation can be enhanced by radiation. The main disadvantage of this technology is the use of a suspended catalyst entailing a separation step. Thus, catalytic ozonation was analysed using supported TiO2 nanotubes prepared by anodization at different volta...

One of the challenges in the field of heterogeneous photocatalysis is the development of new type of photoactive materials activated by low-power and low-cost irradiation sources, and to understand the mechanism of photocatalytic reaction in the presence of those materials.