Ramiro Pérez

Currently, the use of sustainable chemistry as an ecological alternative for the generation of products or processes that are free of a polluting substance has assumed a preponderant role. The aim of this work is to propose a bioinspired, facile, low cost, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly alternative to obtaining magnetic nanoparticles with a majority phase of magnetite (Fe₃O₄). It is important to emphasize that the synthesis was based on the chemical reduction through the Cnicus benedictus extract, whose use as reducing agent has not been reported in the synthesis of iron oxides nanoparticles. In addition, the Cnicus benedictus is an abundant endemic plant in Mexico with several medicinal properties and a large number of natural antioxidants. The obtained nanoparticles exhibited significant magnetic and antibacterial properties and an enhanced photocatalytic activity. The crystallite size of the Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄ NP’s) was calculated by the Williamson-Hall method. The photocatalytic properties of the Fe₃O₄ NP’s were studied by kinetics absorptions models in the Congo red (CR) degradation. Finally, the antibacterial effects of the Fe₃O₄ NPs were evaluated mediated the Kirby–Bauer method against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. This route offers a green alternative to obtain Fe₃O₄ NPs with remarkable magnetic, photocatalytic, and antibacterial properties.

Bimetallic Au@Pt nanoparticles (NPs) with Pt monolayer shell are of much interest for applications in heterogeneous catalysts because of enhanced catalytic activity and very low Pt-utilization. However, precisely controlled synthesis with uniform Pt-monolayers and stability on the AuNPs seeds remain elusive. Herein, we report the controlled deposition of Pt-monolayer onto uniform AuNPs seeds to obtain Au@Pt core–shell NPs and their Pt-coverage dependent electrocatalytic activity for methanol electro-oxidation. The atomic ratio between Au/Pt was effectively tuned by varying the precursor solution ratio in the reaction solution. The morphology and atomic structure of the Au@Pt NPs were analyzed by high-resolution scanning transmission electron microcopy (HR-STEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The results demonstrated that the Au@Pt core–shell NPs with Pt-shell thickness (atomic ratio 1:2) exhibit higher electrocatalytic activity for methanol electro-oxidation reaction, whereas higher and lower Pt ratios showed less overall catalytic performance. Such higher catalytic performance of Au@Pt NPs (1:2) can be attributed to the weakened CO binding on the Pt/monolayers surface. Our present synthesis strategy and optimization of the catalytic activity of Au@Pt core–shell NPs catalysts provide promising approach to rationally design highly active catalysts with less Pt-usage for high performance electrocatalysts for applications in fuel cells.

The demand for hydrophobic polymer-based protective coatings to impart high corrosion resistance has increased recently. The increase of the hydrophobicity in a hybrid coating is a new challenge, for that reason and in order to protect a metallic surface of oxidant agents, a poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) coating with the addition of a different amount of silicon dioxide (SiO₂) was developed. The hybrid coating was applied on a sample of stainless steel AISI 304 by the dip-coating method. The characterization of the coatings was determined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and with a scanning electrochemical microscopy. The best coatings were PMMA and PMMA + SiO₂ 0.01% that exhibits a real impedance in the Nyquist diagram of 760 and 427,800 MΩ⋅cm², respectively, and the modulus of the real impedance in the Bode diagram present values of 2.2 × 10⁸ and 3.3 × 10⁸ Ω⋅cm². Moreover, the phase angle presents constant values around 75° to 85° and 85° for the PMMA and PMMA + SiO₂ 0.01%, respectively. Moreover, the values of the real resistance for the PMMA + SiO₂ 0.01% coating present values in the order of Mega-ohms despite the coating exhibits an artificial defect in their surface. The contact angle test showed that the hydrophobicity of the hybrid PMMA + SiO₂ 0.01% coating is higher than that of the pure PMMA coatings. The hybrid PMMA + SiO₂ coatings developed in this work are a very interesting and promising area of study in order to develop efficient products to protect metallic surfaces from corrosion phenomenon.