Professor Stelios Choulis and Achilleas Savva at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Material Science (MEP Research Unit) has registered an international patent (WO2015198321) titled “Thin film optoelectronic devices using delafossite type metal oxides and methods of their fabrication”.

The patent describes a novel method for fabricating delafossite type metal oxides thin films, and the novel electrically active delafossite type metal oxides thin film are presented. The method comprises: providing a liquid-phase film material comprising a solution of a precursor material having at least one metal ion source and at least one selected fuel compound in at least one selected polar solvent; and using the liquid-phase film material for fabricating a multi-layer structure comprising at least one optically active layer configured with desired optical, electronic and mechanical properties. The film material is deposited on a surface of a structure comprising the optically active layer, and a post deposition treatment is applied to the deposited film material to transform the film material into an electrically active delafossite type metal oxide film being a semi- crystalline film comprising amorphous and crystalline regions.

Link: http://goo.gl/fowajT

The invention relates to a novel catalyst having excellent activity, selectivity and stability for reducing nitric oxide to gas nitrogen, with ethanol or an ethanol-hydrogen mixture being used as a reducing agent, in the low temperature range of 150-300 DEG C and in the presence of an excess of oxygen (e.g., 5 % vol), H 2 O (5 % vol) and SO 2 (50 ppm) in the supply. The inventive catalyst consists of silver crystals which are in contact with the phases of a mixed MgO, CeO 2 and Al 2 O 3 medium. The Ag/MgO-CeO 2 -Al 2 O 3 catalyst can be used to obtain NO conversion levels which are greater than 40 %, nitrogen selectivity values of greater than 95 % and CO 2 selectivity values greater than 97% under NO x oxidation conditions in the 150-400 DEG C temperature range and for a surface contact time of 0.09 s. In particular, 90% NO conversion is obtained as well as N 2 and CO 2 selectivity levels of 99 % at 250 DEG C with a reaction mixture of 500 ppm NO/1000 ppm C 2 H 5 OH /5% O 2 /5% H 2 O / 50ppm SO 2 /He.

Link: http://goo.gl/Uva3Qg

Dr. Vasileios Fotopoulos at the Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology & Food Science (Group of Plant Stress Physiology; http://plant-stress.weebly.com) has registered an international patent (WO 2015123273 A1) along with Prof. Koshrow Kashfi at the City University of New York titled “Method of priming plants against abiotic stress factors and promoting growth” (link: http://www.google.com/patents/WO2015123273A1?cl=en&hl=el).
The patent describes a method of reducing cellular damage to a plant as a result of abiotic stress factors such as drought or salinity by treating the plant with a compound containing an NO-releasing moiety and an H₂S -releasing moiety covalently bonded to an aspirin-derived core (NOSH-aspirin). The compound may also be used as a method of promoting plant growth. Currently, a short-tech project co-funded by the two partner Universities (CUT and CUNY) is underway towards licensing of the technology.

Link: http://www.google.com/patents/WO2015123273A1?cl=en