Abstract: An air filter comprises a filter element that includes a proximal surface configured to receive a flow of air; is configured to remove a set of pollutants from the received flow of air; and includes a distal surface configured to allow passage of the flow of air after removal of the set of pollutants. The air filter further comprises a first activation element that is in contact with a first activated area located on the proximal surface of the filter element; and is configured to activate the first activated area; and also comprises a second activation element that is in contact with a second activated area located on the distal surface of the filter element; and is configured to activate the second activated area. In some embodiments, the air filter further comprises a controller configured to independently control operations of the first activation element and the second activation element.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an inverse photonic structure comprising a first component comprising air holes or colloidal particles; and a metal oxide matrix comprising metal oxide nanocrystals, wherein the metal oxide nanocrystals comprise at least one of: a transition metal, titania, zirconia, alumina, iron oxide, zinc oxide, tin oxide, beryllia, a noble metal oxide, platinum group metal oxides, hafnia, molybdenum oxide, tungsten oxide, rhenium oxide, tantalum oxide, niobium oxide, vanadium oxide, chromium oxide, scandium oxide, yttria, lanthanum oxide, ceria, a rare earth oxide, thorium oxide, uranium oxide, other rare earth oxides, or a combination thereof, wherein the inverse photonics structure is crack-free for at least 10,000 repeat units of the first component.

Abstract: In one aspect, a composition is disclosed that includes an agglomeration of a plurality of porous microparticles forming a hierarchically porous material structure. The porous microparticles can be formed of a biogenic and/or a synthetic material. In some embodiments, a plurality of binder can be distributed among the microparticles to facilitate the agglomeration of the plurality of the microparticles.

Abstract: In one aspect, a composite porous composition is disclosed, which comprises a porous structure including a plurality of pores, and a plurality of functional particles distributed within at least some of said pores of the porous structure, wherein the particles comprise porous particles.

Abstract: In one aspect, a material structure is disclosed, which includes a macroscopic porous substrate configured to receive a flow of a medium for passage of at least a portion thereof through the porous substrate. At least one porous coating is disposed on at least a portion of an inner surface of the porous substrate, wherein the porous coating comprises a matrix having a plurality of interconnected passages. The porous substrate and the coating are configured to treat at least one contaminant, if any, present in the flowing medium.

Abstract: An air purification system includes a conduit extending between an inlet and an outlet, each in fluid communication with an enclosed environment. Ambient air from the enclosed environment enters the conduit via the inlet and treated air exits the conduit and enters the enclosed environment via the outlet. The system further includes a fibrous filter disposed within the conduit and configured to treat the ambient air thereby generating the treated air, and a renewal unit disposed within the conduit and configured to renew the fibrous filter.

Abstract: An air purification system includes a conduit extending between an inlet and an outlet, each in fluid communication with an enclosed environment. Ambient air from the enclosed environment enters the conduit via the inlet and treated air exits the conduit and enters the enclosed environment via the outlet. The system further includes a fibrous filter disposed within the conduit and configured to treat the ambient air thereby generating the treated air, and a renewal unit disposed within the conduit and configured to renew the fibrous filter.

Abstract: Aspects of the present application provides for enhanced catalytic materials, which can feature multiple functional and/or catalytic species, and methods of their formation. The materials can include catalytic nanoparticles (NPs) partially embedded within a supporting matrix. Treatment of the material, e.g., thermal, optical, microwave, plasma, and/or chemical treatment, can lead to the formation of functionally, e.g., catalytic or co-catalytic, relevant chemical and structural/morphological species or features at the NP-matrix, NP-pore, and matrix-pore interfaces. The treated material is characterized by enhanced properties, e.g., greater mechanical stability.

Abstract: An air purification system includes a conduit extending between an inlet and an outlet, each in fluid communication with an enclosed environment. Ambient air from the enclosed environment enters the conduit via the inlet and treated air exits the conduit and enters the enclosed environment via the outlet. The system further includes a fibrous filter disposed within the conduit and configured to treat the ambient air thereby generating the treated air, and a renewal unit disposed within the conduit and configured to renew the fibrous filter.

Abstract: A co-assembly method for synthesizing inverse photonic structures is described. The method includes combining an onium compound with a sol-gel precursor to form metal oxide (MO) nanocrystals, where each MO nanocrystal has crystalline and amorphous content. The MO nanocrystals are combined with templating particles to form a suspension. A solvent is evaporated from the suspension to form an intermediate or compound product, which then undergoes calcination to produce an inverse structure.

Abstract: Disclosed in certain embodiments is a composition comprising a structural colorant comprising photonic particles comprising a metal oxide and from about 0.1% to about 50% w/w of an organic material.

Abstract: Disclosed in certain embodiments is a method of preparing structural colorants comprising photonic particles, the method comprising varying the calcination temperature in the process to enable the tuning of pore size to obtain a wide variety of possible colors.

Abstract: Disclosed in certain embodiments is a composition comprising a structural colorant comprising photonic particles comprising a metal oxide and a transition metal, the molar ratio of transition metal to metal oxide being less than about 2:1.

Abstract: Disclosed in certain embodiments is a liquid coating composition comprising a liquid medium and a structural colorant comprising photonic particles comprising a metal oxide, the photonic particles having silane functional groups on at least a portion of the external surface of the photonic particles.

Abstract: In one aspect, a material structure is disclosed, which includes a macroscopic porous substrate configured to receive a flow of a medium for passage of at least a portion thereof through the porous substrate. At least one porous coating is disposed on at least a portion of an inner surface of the porous substrate, wherein the porous coating comprises a matrix having a plurality of interconnected passages. The porous substrate and the coating are configured to treat at least one contaminant, if any, present in the flowing medium.

Abstract: A co-assembly method for synthesizing inverse photonic structures is described. The method includes combining an onium compound with a sol-gel precursor to form metal oxide (MO) nanocrystals, where each MO nanocrystal has crystalline and amorphous content. The MO nanocrystals are combined with templating particles to form a suspension. A solvent is evaporated from the suspension to form an intermediate or compound product, which then undergoes calcination to produce an inverse structure.

Abstract: A method for analyzing a volatile liquid mixture is described. The method includes providing a sensor, and placing the sensor within a chamber. The mixture is stored in the chamber for a duration sufficient to achieve a series of dynamic non-equilibrium mass-transfer processes: (1) spreading and wetting of the analyte on at least a portion of the bottom-inside surface of the chamber from the source of the injection, (2) evaporation of at least a portion of the analyte liquid into a vaporized analyte, (3) convection and/or diffusion of the vaporized analyte through the chamber to the sensor, and (4) sorption of the vaporized analyte on the sensor. The sensor detects, over time, a plurality of non-equilibrium spectral responses, each corresponding to at least one compositional change in the analyte liquid. The method further includes machine learning algorithms to measure or predict the compositional change and/or presence of contaminants.

Abstract: In one aspect, a composite porous composition is disclosed, which comprises a porous structure including a plurality of pores, and a plurality of functional particles distributed within at least some of said pores of the porous structure, wherein the particles comprise porous particles.

Abstract: Aspects of the present application provides for enhanced catalytic materials, which can feature multiple functional and/or catalytic species, and methods of their formation. The materials can include catalytic nanoparticles (NPs) partially embedded within a supporting matrix. Treatment of the material, e.g., thermal, optical, microwave, plasma, and/or chemical treatment, can lead to the formation of functionally, e.g., catalytic or co-catalytic, relevant chemical and structural/morphological species or features at the NP-matrix, NP-pore, and matrix-pore interfaces. The treated material is characterized by enhanced properties, e.g., greater mechanical stability.

Abstract: A method of making a multi-layered film includes depositing thin film layers onto a first side of a double-sided transparent substrate. The thin film layers are transparent, and two adjacent layers of said plurality of thin film layers have different refractive indices. One or more absorbers are deposited at an interface formed between two of the thin film layers that are adjacent to one another, or formed by the first side of the substrate and one of the thin film layers. The absorbers absorb selected wavelengths of incident light and reflect part of the incident light after inducing a phase shift. The location of the interface is selected to provide desired wavelengths of absorbed and reflected light. The multi-layered film has a first appearance when viewed from the first side of the substrate and a second appearance when viewed from the second side of the substrate.