CO₂ and CH₄ contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, while the production of industrial base chemicals from natural gas resources is emerging as well. Such conversion processes, however, are energy-intensive and introducing a renewable and sustainable electric activation seems optimal, at least for intermediate-scale modular operation. The review thus analyses such valorisation by plasma reactor technologies and heterogeneous catalysis application, largely into higher hydrocarbon molecules, that is ethane, ethylene, acetylene, propane, etc., and organic oxygenated compounds, i.e. methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid and dimethyl ether. Focus is given to reaction pathway mechanisms, related to the partial oxidation steps of CH₄ with O₂, H₂O and CO₂, CO₂ reduction with H₂, CH₄ or other paraffin species, and to a lesser extent, to mixtures' dry reforming to syngas. Dielectric barrier discharge, corona, spark and gliding arc sources are considered, combined with (noble) metal materials. Carbon (C), silica (SiO₂) and alumina (Al₂O₃) as well as various catalytic supports are examined as precious critical raw materials (e.g. platinum, palladium and rhodium) or transition metal (e.g. manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel and copper) substrates. These are applied for turnover, such as that pertinent to reformer, (reverse) water–gas shift (WGS or RWGS) and CH₃OH synthesis. Time-on-stream catalyst deactivation or reactivation is also overviewed from the viewpoint of individual transient moieties and their adsorption or desorption characteristics, as well as reactivity.

In today’s nanoworld, there is a strong need to manipulate and process materials on an atom-by-atom scale with new tools such as reactive plasma, which in some states enables high selectivity of interaction between plasma species and materials. These interactions first involve preferential interactions with precise bonds in materials and later cause etching. This typically occurs based on material stability, which leads to preferential etching of one material over other. This process is especially interesting for polymeric substrates with increasing complexity and a “zoo” of bonds, which are used in numerous applications. In this comprehensive summary, we encompass the complete selective etching of polymers and polymer matrix micro-/nanocomposites with plasma and unravel the mechanisms behind the scenes, which ultimately leads to the enhancement of surface properties and device performance.

This white paper considers the future of plasma science and technology related to the manufacturing and modifications of plastics and textiles, summarizing existing efforts and the current state‐of‐art for major topics related to plasma processing techniques. It draws on the frontier of plasma technologies in order to see beyond and identify the grand challenges which we face in the following 5–10 years. To progress and move the frontier forward, the paper highlights the major enabling technologies and topics related to the design of surfaces, coatings and materials with non‐equilibrium plasmas. The aim is to progress the field of plastics and textile production using advanced plasma processing as the key enabling technology which is environmentally friendly, cost‐efficient, and offers high‐speed processing.

Atmospheric-pressure DBD plasma was used as a methodology for intensified protein removal from crustacean shell waste.

In order to expand the use of titania indoor as well as to increase its overall performance, narrowing the band gap is one of the possibilities to achieve this. Modifying with rare earths (REs) has been relatively unexplored, especially the modification of rutile with rare earth cations. The aim of this study was to find the influence of the modification of TiO₂ with rare earths on its structural, optical, morphological, and photocatalytic properties. Titania was synthesized using TiOSO₄ as the source of titanium via hydrothermal synthesis procedure at low temperature (200 °C) and modified with selected rare earth elements, namely, Ce, La, and Gd. Structural properties of samples were determined by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and the phase ratio was calculated using the Rietveld method. Optical properties were analyzed by ultraviolet and visible light (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) was used to determine the morphological properties of samples and to estimate the size of primary crystals. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to determine the chemical bonding properties of samples. Photocatalytic activity of the prepared photocatalysts as well as the titania available on the market (P25) was measured in three different setups, assessing volatile organic compound (VOC) degradation, NO_x abatement, and water purification. It was found out that modification with rare earth elements slows down the transformation of anatase and brookite to rutile. Whereas the unmodified sample was composed of only rutile, La- and Gd-modified samples contained anatase and rutile, and Ce-modified samples consisted of anatase, brookite, and rutile. Modification with rare earth metals has turned out to be detrimental to photocatalytic activity. In all cases, pure TiO₂ outperformed the modified samples. Cerium-modified TiO₂ was the least active sample, despite having a light absorption tail up to 585 nm wavelength. La- and Gd-modified samples did not show a significant shift in light absorption when compared to the pure TiO₂ sample. The reason for the lower activity of modified samples was attributed to a greater Ti³⁺/Ti⁴⁺ ratio and a large amount of hydroxyl oxygen found in pure TiO₂. All the modified samples had a smaller Ti³⁺/Ti⁴⁺ ratio and less hydroxyl oxygen.

The performance of electrical insulating polymers measured by comparative tracking index can be improved by flame retardant fillers in the polymer–matrix, but is not necessary effective due to persisting surface layers. We demonstrated a method for selective etching of polyphenol–matrix composites which leads to improvement of the tracking properties. Selective etching was performed by low pressure inductively coupled oxygen plasma generated at 35 Pa. Species created in discharge were monitored in situ during the treatment by optical emission spectroscopy (OES). Their surface reactions were established indirectly from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) after plasma treatment. The effective etching was done by oxygen species which removed off surface polymer layer within 10 to 15 s during plasma pulse operation to prevent surface overheating. The selective polymer removal improved tracking properties of the 70% glass filler reinforced composites up to 56%, whereas the performance level decreased with the decrease in filler content. This technology provides an important enhancement of polymer–matrix composites' tracking properties and resistance of composites to electrical short-circuit fire.