PROJECT TITLE: Development of photosensitized nanoparticles-hydrogel composites with catalytic properties for environmental applications

ACRONYM: PhotoActComp

PROJECT CODE: PN-IV-P2-2.1-TE-2023-2005; Contract number: 4TE/2025

DURATION: 24 months; STARTING DATE: 08.01.2025

FUNDING PROGRAMME: PNCDI IV - Programme 5.2 – Human Resources 

SUBPROGRAM: 5.2.1 Start Research – Proiecte de cercetare pentru stimularea tinerelor echipe independente - 2023 Call 

CONTRACT AUTHORITY: Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISDCI)

TOTAL BUDGET: 500.000,00 lei

ABSTRACT: To meet the challenges of extensive agriculture, a wide range of pesticides is currently applied, many of them irrationally, especially in developing countries. Their spread in the environment led to the pollution of surface and ground water over time. This forced the international community to look for new effective measures to neutralize these ‘contaminants of emerging concern’. The current project proposes the neutralization of pesticides through photochemical degradation, using sensitized recoverable photocatalysts and solar energy. Modern techniques based on ZnO nanoparticles sensitized with photosensitive organic compounds, which activate the nanoparticles by irradiation in the visible light range, are envisaged. To enhance the efficiency and recoverability of the sensitized photocatalyst, its incorporation into a porous environmentally friendly hydrogel matrix will be explored. Thus, the sorption of pesticide formulations would be facilitated within the pores of the hydrogel matrix, at the level of the photocatalyst, enhancing thus the photodecomposition reactions. The synergy of processes that give functionality in the visible spectral range of light with the reuse ability is expected to bring the photocatalytic composites among the best performing pesticide neutralization technologies.