A. Bachvarova-Nedelcheva

Photocatalytic properties of ZnO/TiO2 powders obtained via combustion gel method

The present study is a continuation of our previous investigations on the ZnO-TiO2 system. By applying different sol-gel methods we proved that the type of precursor and the order of adding the components influence the microstructure of the final product. This study focuses on the combustion sol-gel synthesis and photocatalytic properties of nanosized (∼7-20 nm) ZnO-TiO2 powders. The photocatalytic tests were performed toward two model organic dyes, Malachite Green and Reactive Black 5, in the UV and Vis region. For synthesis of ZnO/TiO2 powders, different precursors such as Zn(NO3)2·6H2O, Zn(CH3COO)2·2H2O, Ti(OC2H5)4 and Ti(OC4H9)4 were used. During the combustion process various phases (ZnO, TiO2 — anatase and rutile, ZnTiO3) were obtained. The structure and morphology of the resulting particles were characterized by XRD and SEM analysis. All samples exhibited a good photocatalytic activity in both UV and Vis regions.Graphical abstract

Structural Models of Selenite Glasses Containing Ag+ and Cu2+ Ions

Selenite glasses are a new class of amorphous materials which are interesting mainly from a scientific point of view and they are not yet fully examined. Selenite glasses containing other non-traditional glass formers (TeO2, V2O5 and MoO3) as well as network modifiers (Ag+, Cu2+, Zn2+, etc.) were obtained. The aim of the present study is to explain the glass formation ability in selenite systems with the participation of modifiers (Ag+ and Cu2+) and MoO3.