Ag supported on AgIO₃ (Ag/AgIO₃ particles), a plasmonic photocatalyst, was synthesized through a facile solid-state ion-exchange procedure followed by reduction with hydrazine hydrate. The particles displayed high activity and stability in the photocatalytic conversion of CO₂ to CH₄ and CO using water vapor under visible-light irradiation (>400 nm wavelength).

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In the present work, reduction of Cr(VI) induced by UV–visible light in aqueous solution was investigated. The aqueous medium contained TiO2 nanosheets and no additional reducing agents or hole scavengers. A hydrothermal method was used to synthesize fluorinated TiO2 nanostructures with various percentages of exposed {001} facets and initial F/Ti ratios. Fluorine-free TiO2 nanosheets were obtained by washing the TiO2 samples with NaOH solution. The surface fluorination facilitates the adsorption process by increasing the number of surface OH groups generated. Moreover, fluorination efficiently inhibits the recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. The {001} facets have an indirect role in the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) because oxidative dissolution of H2O occurring on {001} facets and Cr(VI) reduction occurring on {101} facets are simultaneous reactions. The optimal ratio of exposed {001} to {101} was found to be ∼72:18.

The conversion of CO2 into useful raw materials for fuels and chemicals by solar energy is described using a plasmonic photocatalyst comprised of Ag supported on Ag2SO3 (Ag/Ag2SO3) fabricated by a facile solid-state ion-exchange method and subsequent reduction with hydrazine hydrate. The optimum molar ratio of Ag(0)/Ag(+) was 5 %. Visible light irradiation (>400 nm) of the Ag/Ag2SO3 powder in the presence of CO2 and water vapor led to the formation of CH4 and CO with a quantum yield of 0.126 %, and an energy returned on energy invested of 0.156 %. The Ag/Ag2SO3 retained high catalytic activity after ten successive experimental cycles. The catalysts were characterized using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analyses, as well as photocurrent action spectroscopy. It is proposed that the photocatalytic activity of the catalysts is initiated by energy conversion from incident photons to localized surface plasmon resonance oscillations of silver nanoparticles. This plasmonic energy is transferred to the Ag2SO3 by direct electron transfer and/or resonant energy transfer, causing the separation of photogenerated electron/hole pairs.

Background: Multimodal imaging probes have become a powerful tool for improving detection sensitivity and accuracy, which are important in disease diagnosis and treatment. Methods: In this study, novel bifunctional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/fluorescence probes were prepared by loading gadodiamide into fluorescent silica nanoparticles (NPs) (Gd@Cy5.5@SiO 2 -PEG-Ab NPs) for targeting of prostate cancer (PCa). The physicochemical characteristics, biosafety and PCa cell targeting ability of the Gd@Cy5.5@SiO 2 -PEG-Ab NPs were studied in vitro and in vivo. Results: The Gd@Cy5.5@SiO 2 -PEG-Ab NPs had a spherical morphology with a relatively uniform size distribution and demonstrated high efficiency for Gd loading. In vitro and in vivo cell-targeting experiments demonstrated a high potential for the synthesized NPs to target prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) receptor-positive PCa cells, enabling MRI and fluorescence imaging. In vitro cytotoxicity assays and in vivo hematological and pathological assays showed that the prepared NPs exhibited good biological safety. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that the synthesized Gd@Cy5.5@SiO 2 -PEG-Ab NPs have great potential as MRI/fluorescence contrast agents for specific identification of PSMA receptor-positive PCa cells.