The high-temperature behaviour of organised mesoporous alumina was investigated using X-ray powder diffraction, nitrogen adsorption isotherms and transmission electron microscopy. Based on the combination of these methods it has been shown that organised mesoporous alumina synthesised using long-chain carboxylic acids is transformed at temperatures between 600 and 1000 °C into a material which consists of a packing of δ-alumina particles.

The inherent properties of a single atomic carbon layer in graphene offer opportunities for the creation of catalytically active centers tailored on a molecular level on a support with high thermal stability and very high specific surface area. We demonstrate that organization of the two-dimensional system of the carbon layer into three-dimensional (3D) graphene-like catalytic materials with connectivity of a pore network providing good accessibility to the active centres allows the preparation of catalytic materials exploiting graphene properties. In this study, 3D graphene-like microporous carbons, denoted as β-carbon and Y-carbon, were synthesized by nanocasting of beta (*BEA) and faujasite (FAU) zeolite templates. Structural analyses show that the materials are characterised by 3D assembled and highly stable single atomic graphene layers forming an open porous system resembling the regular channel system of the zeolites with a specific surface area comparable to the surface area of graphene. The materials effectively catalyse the hydrogenation of alkenes, alkynes and cycloalkenes into the corresponding alkanes and cycloalkanes. The materials facilitate catalytic intramolecular rearrangements including the selective isomerisation of double bonds and branching of linear chains, as well as stereo-selective isomerisation of unsaturated hydrocarbons.

Rapid progress in the development of highly efficient nanoparticle-based construction technologies has not always been accompanied by a corresponding understanding of their effects on human health and ecosystems. In this study, we compare the toxicological effects of pristine TiO₂, ZnO, SiO₂, and coated SiO₂ nanoparticles, and evaluate their suitability as additives to consolidants of weathered construction materials. First, water soluble tetrazolium 1 (WST-1) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays were used to determine the viability of human alveolar A549 cells at various nanoparticle concentrations (0–250 μg mL⁻¹). While the pristine TiO₂ and coated SiO₂ nanoparticles did not exhibit any cytotoxic effects up to the highest tested concentration, the pristine SiO₂ and ZnO nanoparticles significantly reduced cell viability. Second, as all developed nanoparticle-modified consolidants increased the mechanical strength of weathered sandstone, the decisive criterion for the selection of the most suitable nanoparticle additive was as low toxicity as possible. We believe that this approach would be of high importance in the industry, to identify materials representing top functional properties and low toxicity, at an early stage of the product development.

The preparation of immobilized graphene-based photocatalyst layers is highly desired for environmental applications. In this study, the preparation of an immobilized reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/TiO₂ composite by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) was optimized. It enabled quantitative deposition without sintering and without the use of any dispersive additive. The presence of rGO had beneficial effects on the photocatalytic degradation of 4-chlorophenol in an aqueous solution. A marked increase in the photocatalytic degradation rate was observed, even at very low concentrations of rGO. Compared with the TiO₂ and GO/TiO₂ reference layers, use of the rGO/TiO₂ composite (0.5 wt% of rGO) increased the first-order reaction rate constant by about 70%. This enhanced performance was due to the increased formation of hydroxyl radicals that attacked the 4-chlorophenol molecules. The direct charge transfer mechanism had only limited effect on the degradation. Thus, EPD-prepared rGO/TiO₂ layers appear to be suitable for environmental application.