Porous nanowires are of great interest for applications in solar cells, thermoelectrics, gas sensors, fuel cells and catalysis. Here we report on a general methodology for NWs with highly ordered connected macroporosity using a low-cost and scalable synthesis method based on the combination of hard templating with electrodeposition. The greatly improved catalytic performance of these porous NWs (ca. 600% increasing compared to dense NWs) in the hydrolysis of ammonia borane makes them exciting materials for the implementation of hydrolytic boron hydrides as hydrogen carriers for fuel cell applications.

In a radioactively contaminated soil, cesium 137 is known to be uptaken by fine particles, preferentially by micrometric phyllosilicate particles. Cesium is almost irreversibly adsorbed on the planar and frayed edge sites of the phyllosilicates. Particulate froth flotation technology assisted by cationic surfactant and operating in continuous mode is studied as a possible method to selectively separate fine phyllosilicate particles from soil. As a first approach, the strategy was to investigate the potentiality of this modular technology to separate fine phyllosilicates from non contaminated soils. Several soils, exhibiting various physicochemical properties were floated and compared. The objective was to disclose and understand the influence of soil textural and physicochemical properties on the separation of fine phyllosilicate particles. Comparison between soils flotabilities indicated that the separation yield and the selectivity on fine particles are strongly related to the initial soil properties. Systematic studies of the sizeparticle distribution of the separated particles showed that fine phyllosilicate particles (<50 µm) removal from soil is possible. Three main size classes are detected in the separated samples: the first one is centered on 3 µm and could be attributed to the phyllosilicates class; the second one is centered on 10 µm and could be a phyllosilicate aggregates class; the last one, on 30-50 µm (depending on soil properties and flotation conditions), could be composed of phyllosilicate aggregates and/or silica aggregates classes. Finally, the mineralogical composition of the separated particles from the various soils were identified by using X-Ray Diffraction analysis.