The corrosion behavior of certain steels under extremely oxidative conditions, simulating the impact of water radiolysis on stainless steels, has been investigated. Radiolysis generates aggressive species, including radicals, solvated electrons, and hydrogen peroxide, potentially leading to corrosion over time in materials typically considered resistant. To expedite the kinetics of this phenomenon, drastic conditions were employed, involving high concentrations of peroxide in a strongly acidic environment. Under these conditions, corrosion can manifest rapidly. The varied responses of different steels are contingent upon their inherent nature and chemical composition, notably the chromium and nickel content. Steels with higher chromium and nickel concentrations exhibit increased resistance to corrosion, even in such severe environments. Microscopic corrosion mechanisms involve pitting and intergranular corrosion. Pitting results in the formation of craters on surfaces, while intergranular corrosion leads to the detachment of grains.

Recently, the use of disinfectants has been becoming a diffused and sometimes indiscriminate practice of paramount importance to limit the spreading of infections. The control of microbial contamination has now been concentrated on the use of traditional agents (i.e., hypochlorite, ozone). However, their prolonged use can cause potential treats, for both human health and environment. Currently, low-impact but effective biocides that are prepared in a way that avoids waste, with a very low toxicity, and safe and easy to handle and store are strongly needed. In this study, produced electrochemically activated hypochlorous (HOCl) acid solutions are investigated and proposed, integrated in a scrubbing machine for floor cleaning treatment. Such an innovative machine has been used for floor cleaning and sanitation in order to evaluate the microbial charge and organic dirt removal capacity of HOCl in comparison with a machine charged with traditional Ecolabel standard detergent. The potential damage on floor materials has also been investigated by means of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). A comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis has been carried out for evaluating the sustainability of the use of the HOCl-based and detergent-based machine.

Na₂MoO₄ and Na₂WO₄ are isostructural semiconductors, belonging to the spinel class. They have interesting properties and find applications in numerous sectors. These properties can be tuned by controlling the composition of their solid solutions. Here, different methods to obtain these compounds are presented, both wet and solid-state synthesis. The obtained results show a possible dependence of the material properties on the chosen synthesis method. The pure compounds and their mixtures were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction.

Ag₂MoO₄ crystals were prepared by a precipitation method by mixing parent solutions of silver nitrate and sodium molybdate. The effects of experimental parameters such as temperature, concentration, and pH were studied. The samples were found to be crystalline, pure, and monophasic in all cases, except in the case of very low pH. The precipitation leads to the formation of the cubic phase β and no secondary phase is present within the limits of detection of XRD and Raman spectroscopy. However, in some cases, at high temperature and high pH, silver oxide nanoparticles form on the surfaces of the crystals, which create a fluorescence background in the Raman spectra, which is otherwise absent. Analyses with the electron microscope have highlighted that the most common crystalline shape is octahedral, which is the most prevalent at low temperatures and pH around 7, but others are also possible, in particular at high temperatures. No growth occurs after precipitation, so crystals with different appearances form at the same time.

Hypochlorous acid solutions are used as effective disinfectants in many settings, including operating rooms and other hospital environments. During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, their use increased significantly, and this work stems from that development. In fact, despite their undoubtedly excellent properties, these solutions can constitute a very aggressive system for a variety of different materials that are very common in those environments. Materials that can be subject to corrosion include steels, copper-based alloys, and components in electronic devices. This work aims to investigate the responses of these materials to long but intermittent exposures to HClO disinfectant solutions. It consists of a compatibility test, performed on several reference materials with HClO used as a surface disinfectant, connected with NaCl’s eventual presence/deposition over them. To perform the investigations in a manner consistent with the duration of compatible laboratory analyses, the samples were immersed in electrolytically prepared HClO solutions for 750 h, which is a duration considered equivalent to normal exposure to disinfectant aerosols over 3 years. Analyzing the large amount of experimental data gathered yielded interesting results. Where the exposure of non-metallic materials or steel did not lead to compatibility issues, bare metals showed degradation due to salt deposition. This article summarizes the morphological studies, i.e., a huge experimental work conducted at the ENEA IMPACT lab in Bologna and part of the PhD work of the corresponding author.

A simple and effective method to eliminate the organic component from mussel shells is presented. It is based on the use of hot hydrogen peroxide. Mollusc shells are composite materials made of a calcium carbonate matrix with different polymorphs and numerous biomacromolecules. The described method was used on mussel shells, but it is generalisable and allows the complete removal of these organic components, without altering the inorganic part. Specimens were kept in a H₂O₂ 40% bath for few hours at 70 °C. The organic layers found on the faces of the shells were peeled away in this way, and biomacromolecules were degraded and removed. Their fragments are soluble in aqueous solution. This easily permits the chemical-physical characterisation and the study of the microstructure. The quality of calcite and aragonite microcrystals of biogenic origin is very high, superior to that of materials of geological or synthetic origin. This may suggest various industrial applications for them. Calcium carbonate is a useful precursor for cements and other building materials, and the one obtained in this way is of excellent quality and high purity.