Materials Science Forum Vol. 1194

Abstract: Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) are among the most promising clean energy technologies, yet their widespread commercialization is hindered by high operating temperatures, material degradation, and cost challenges. Recent advances in anode, cathode, and electrolyte materials have enabled SOFCs to operate efficiently at intermediate temperatures (500–800 °C), thereby reducing thermal stress and manufacturing costs. For instance, gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC) has demonstrated up to three times higher ionic conductivity than yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) at 600 °C, while perovskite-based cathodes such as LSCF (La₀.₆Sr₀.₄Co₀.₂Fe₀.₈O₃−δ) exhibit superior catalytic activity and stability compared to conventional lanthanum manganite. This review critically analyzes the progress in SOFC material development, highlights key fabrication strategies such as spin coating and advanced thin-film deposition, and evaluates techno-economic considerations for scaling up. The study also outlines future research directions including nanostructuring, hybrid electrolytes, and durability testing to accelerate commercialization.

Abstract: The global challenges of energy security and climate change highlight the urgent need for renewable energy technologies. Biomass gasification offers a promising thermochemical route for converting organic feedstocks into synthesis gas (syngas), which can serve as a clean fuel or chemical precursor. Despite its potential, large-scale application is constrained by low carbon conversion efficiency, excessive tar formation, unstable syngas composition, and catalyst deactivation. This study applies a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) guided by PRISMA 2020 to examine advances in sustainable catalytic and sorbent materials for improving syngas quality. Literature was retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar (2015–2025), focusing on experimental and simulation-based studies. Results indicate that eco-friendly catalysts such as Ni–Ce/CaO composites, multifunctional Ni/CaO–Ca₁₂Al₁₄O₃₃, lanthanum-promoted Ni–Al₂O₃, red mud, biochar, zeolites, and CaO-based sorbents enhance hydrogen yield, reduce CO₂, and mitigate tar formation. Multifunctional materials combining catalytic and adsorptive properties, particularly in sorption-enhanced gasification, show strong potential but still face challenges of sintering, deactivation, and reactor-dependent variability. Beyond efficiency gains, sustainable catalysts contribute to circular economy principles by valorizing wastes and biomass residues. Future priorities include nanostructured catalyst design, reactor–catalyst integration, techno-economic feasibility, and life cycle assessment to enable industrial-scale deployment.

Abstract: The incorporation of quasi-atomic Ni (OH)₂ clusters onto graphitic C₃N₄ (gCN) remarkably enhances the photocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and benzaldehyde (BAL) from benzyl alcohol (BA) in water under visible light at 440 nm. Upon loading Ni (OH)₂, H₂O₂ production reaches 306 µmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ and BAL production reaches 270 µmol L⁻¹ h⁻¹. The high photocatalytic performance is attributed to the formation of ultrasmall clusters of Ni (OH)₂, which reduce recombination by trapping holes, thereby increasing the activity (BA conversion). Efficient hole transfer to BA is also facilitated, enhancing selectivity (BAL selectivity). Upon the addition of Ni (OH)₂, the steady-state electron population photoexcited by visible light increases 5.5-fold. The proposed modification of gCN with Ni achieves nearly 100% efficiency in both activity and selectivity to produce H₂O₂, while also generating BAL, a value-added product. This demonstrates its potential for sustainable chemical transformations using visible light and water as a green solvent.

Abstract: Calcite is a widely available biocompatible material and produced naturally by marine seashells. It can function as a host of bioimaging fluorophores or photoluminescent lanthanides. Eu (II) was incorporated into calcite, a polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), through co-precipitation to explore the photoluminescence (PL) of Eu-doped calcium carbonate. Eu (II) was incorporated at different mass percentages from 0.625 to 20% at temperatures not exceeding the decomposition of both CaCO₃ and europium carbonate (EuCO₃). The temperature and transformation of Eu were tracked and showed that at a curing temperature of 400°C, for 20% Eu, Eu (II) ions were initially incorporated into the calcium positions in calcite. As the temperature increased to 450°C, the oxidation of Eu (II) and formation of europium sesquioxide (Eu₂O₃), was observed. The reaction was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and mass spectrometry (MS). Eu³⁺, with a smaller crystal radius, was preferentially incorporated into the calcite instead of the larger Eu²⁺ due to the reduction in the lattice parameters and crystal volume. PL results on the samples further showed red luminescence of Eu³⁺ at excitation and emission peaks of 390 and 619 nm, respectively instead of the blue luminescence of Eu²⁺.

Abstract: This study numerically investigates functionally graded (FG) interpenetrating phase composites (IPCs) comprising nitinol (NiTi) shape memory alloy (SMA) microstructure as smart architected reinforcement phase. This architected SMA phase is modeled with FG Schwarz-Primitive (P) triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS that is embedded with Pure magnesium (Mg) as a second-phase elastoplastic material. This unique material combination can provide the superelastic and phase transformation capabilities of NiTi alongside the lightweight and damping properties of Mg material. The functional response and phase transformation characteristics of NiTi SMA are embedded by using an in-house developed material subroutine constitutive model in finite element software Abaqus. The effective properties of the Mg-NiTi FG IPCs are evaluated using a three-unit-cell-based Representative Volume Element (RVE) approach subjected to periodic boundary conditions. The effective functional response includes the elastic stiffness and yield strength, as well as the phase transformation characteristics and martensitic phase evolution of the FG P-TPMS lattices within the IPCs. Additionally, the influence of the concentration of NiTi SMA and functional grading of TPMS structures on stress distribution and phase transformation is thoroughly analyzed. These results are evaluated based on the concentration and grading of NiTi TPMS phase on the FG TPMS IPCs. Results show that increasing NiTi content enhances both the elastic stiffness and strength of the Mg-NiTi composite, with phase transformation initiating at stress-concentrated neck regions of the P TPMS lattice. Whereas the functional grading causes localized stress near regions with minimal cross-sectional area, particularly at the necks between adjacent unit cells, making these zones identified as critical to early transformation and potential failure. This novel FG Mg-NiTi TPMS IPC offers a promising pathway toward lightweight, high-performance multifunctional materials.

Abstract: The development of drug lead compounds has been a focus in organic synthesis methods due to their emerging potential in biomedical applications. However, most synthesis methods involve the use of hazardous solvents, which contribute negatively to the environment with continued use, leading to regulations that limit the use of these solvents. Hence, this study was done to assess the feasibility of Cyrene^TM, a neoteric bio-based green solvent, as an alternative to industrial, dipolar aprotic organic solvents such as DMF and DMSO. The methodology for this study consists of several steps, including preparation of materials, microwave synthesis, thin-layer chromatography, extraction of the products formed, purification and isolation of the target compound, and finally, data analysis. The reaction of interest is the carbazole intermediate formation through Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling between 2-iodoaniline and 2-bromophenylboronic acid in Cyrene^TM in the presence of Pd (OAc)₂ and PPh₃ as the catalyst and ligand under microwave-assisted conditions. Through NMR spectroscopy, the isolated product was identified to be 2’-bromobiphenyl-2-amine, with functional groups verified through FTIR spectroscopy. Optimal conditions in Cyrene^TM involve using Cs₂CO₃ as the base at 90 °C for 2 hrs. However, side reactions in Cyrene^TM resulted in lower yields in comparison to DMSO at 130 °C. It is recommended to identify new methods to minimize the Cyrene^TM side reactions that adversely affect product yield and to test the possibility of completing the carbazole formation via cascade C-C/C-N bond formation under microwave irradiation with Cyrene^TM as a solvent.

Abstract: WO₃-based composite photocatalysts supported on tungsten disulfide (WS₂), urea, melamine, and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) were synthesized and characterized. The SEM micrographs showed that the support materials had a major impact on the composites' shape. While WO₃/WS₂ created layered sheets with scattered nanoparticles, WO₃/melamine and WO₃/urea showed porous and uneven morphologies. Strong interfacial contact was demonstrated by the homogeneous distribution of tiny WO₃ particles on crumpled graphene layers in WO₃/GNPs. W and O from WO₃, as well as S, N, and C elements from the corresponding supports, were verified by EDX. Methyl orange (MO) degradation under light irradiation was used to assess photocatalytic activity. Because of its huge surface area and improved electron mobility, WO₃/GNPs showed the highest degrading efficiency. The WO₃/WS₂ also displayed encouraging activity efficient due to the interfacial charge separation. On the other hand, WO₃/urea and WO₃/melamine performed moderately, most likely as a result of agglomeration and less conductive supports. With WO₃/GNPs emerging as a promising choice for dye degradation and wastewater treatment applications, these findings emphasize the importance of support materials in enhancing WO₃-based photocatalysts.

Abstract: In this study, glycidyl methacrylate was grafted onto nonwoven polypropylene fabric (PP-g-GMA) via gamma radiation-induced graft polymerization at doses of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 kGy. The results revealed that increasing the radiation dose led to a higher degree of grafting. A notable rise in grafting was observed at 20 kGy, reaching 45.21%, and continued to increase significantly with higher doses, 112.48% at 30 kGy, 234.43% at 40 kGy, and peaking at 340.11% at 50 kGy. To evaluate its application in radioactive wastewater treatment, the PP-g-GMA was further functionalized with Prussian blue (PB) to produce the PP-g-GMA-PB adsorbent for the removal of radioactive cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs). Among the tested radiation doses, the adsorbent synthesized at 30 kGy exhibited the highest ¹³⁷Cs removal efficiency, achieving 72.40% adsorption within 24 h. In comparison, adsorbents prepared at 10, 20, 40, and 50 kGy showed removal efficiencies of 45.45%, 47.73%, 50.32%, and 48.70%, respectively. These findings demonstrate that the PP-g-GMA-PB adsorbent, particularly at a grafting dose of 30 kGy, holds promise for effective ¹³⁷Cs removal from radioactive wastewater, highlighting its potential for practical environmental remediation applications.

Abstract: This study investigates the removal of radioactive cesium-137 (Cs-137) from wastewater using activated carbon derived from cassava rhizome (CRAC), composited with copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHCF) through three synthesis methods including hydrothermal (HTM), ultrasonic-assisted (US), and mechanical stirring (STIR). The objective was to enhance the availability of active adsorption sites for improved Cs-137 capture. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed the formation of carboxylate ion groups (-COO^-) in the CRAC/CuHCF composites synthesized via the hydrothermal method, indicating deprotonation of carboxylic groups (-COOH) during synthesis. This transformation is believed to facilitate Cs⁺ ion binding. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the presence of a face-centered cubic structure in the composite, which provides structural vacancies conducive to Cs⁺ diffusion. These findings suggest a dual adsorption mechanism involving surface complexation and lattice incorporation. BET analysis revealed that CRAC composites exhibited significantly enhanced surface area and porosity, with the HTM method providing uniform carbon dispersion and the smallest pore diameter (5.46 nm), whereas US cavitation yielded the highest pore volume (0.17 cm³/g). Batch adsorption experiments demonstrated that CRAC/CuHCF (HTM) composites achieved the highest Cs-137 removal efficiency (98.90%) and adsorption capacity (6.15 × 10⁻⁷ mg/g), outperforming composites synthesized via US and STIR methods, as well as pure CuHCF and CRAC alone. Kinetic modeling indicated that the adsorption process followed a pseudo-second-order model, suggesting chemisorption as the dominant mechanism. Furthermore, the adsorption isotherm was best described by the Freundlich model, implying multilayer adsorption on heterogeneous surfaces.