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This paper proposes an image fusion framework based on separate representation learning, called IFSepR. We believe that both the co-modal image and the multi-modal image have common and private features based on prior knowledge, exploiting this disentangled representation can help to image fusion, especially to fusion rule design. Inspired by the autoencoder network and contrastive learning, a multi-branch encoder with contrastive constraints is built to learn the common and private features of paired images. In the fusion stage, based on the disentangled features, a general fusion rule is designed to integrate the private features, then combining the fused private features and the common feature are fed into the decoder, reconstructing the fused image. We perform a series of evaluations on three typical image fusion tasks, including multi-focus image fusion, infrared and visible image fusion, medical image fusion. Quantitative and qualitative comparison with five state-of-art image fusion methods demonstrates the advantages of our proposed model.

Exploring materials with high electrochemical activity is of keen interest for electrochemistry-controlled optical and energy storage devices. However, it remains a great challenge for transition metal oxides to meet this feature due to their low electron conductivity and insufficient reaction sites. Here, we propose a type of transition metal phosphate (NiHPO4·3H2O, NHP) by a facile and scalable electrodeposition method, which can achieve the capability of efficient ion accommodation and injection/extraction for electrochromic energy storage applications. Specifically, the NHP film with an ultra-high transmittance (approach to 100%) achieves a large optical modulation (90.8% at 500 nm), high coloration efficiency (75.4 cm2 C−1 at 500 nm), and a high specific capacity of 47.8 mAh g−1 at 0.4 A g−1. Furthermore, the transformation mechanism of NHP upon electrochemical reaction is systematically elucidated using in situ and ex situ techniques. Ultimately, a large-area electrochromic smart window with 100 cm2 is constructed based on the NHP electrode, displaying superior electrochromic energy storage performance in regulating natural light and storing electrical charges. Our findings may open up new strategies for developing advanced electrochromic energy storage materials and smart windows.

The genus Vibrio contains a diverse group of heterotrophic bacteria, which are members of ubiquitous and abundant microbial communities in coastal ecosystems. Vibrio has been frequently found in a wide range of marine environments either by employing Vibrio-specific 16S rRNA sequencing or culturing methods. A combination of molecular and cultivation-dependent methods was developed to more precisely discriminate between different members of the genus Vibrio in seawater. This newly developed assay was subsequently applied to characterize Vibrio community composition in surface water at 18 mariculture sites. It Substantially improved the taxonomic resolution of Vibrio species when compared to traditional 16S rRNA analysis. Our qPCR and cultivation analyses revealed that average Vibrio abundance (Vibrio 16S rRNA gene copy numbers: 3.46 × 106 to 6.70 × 106 copies L−1) and live cell numbers (5.65 × 104–5.75 × 105 cfu mL−1) are significantly related to pH. Total bacteria and Vibrio-specific 16S rRNA metabarcode sequenceing resulted in a total of 10 and 32 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), respectively, and 15 Vibrio species were identified by targeted cultivation of Vibrio strains, with Vibrio fortis and V. brasiliensis dominating in the mariculture areas. The purpose of this study was to combine several analytical methods to improve current sequence-based Vibrio community surveys, and to prove for the effectiveness of this methodological approach comprehensively testing for Vibrio dynamics in different coastal environments.

Electrochromic smart windows can dynamically regulate the transmittance of solar radiation to reduce the energy consumption and improve occupants' comfort in the building. Metal oxide-based electrochromic materials are highly desired owing to their high optical modulation and good environmental stability. However, the monometal oxide is still not competent to satisfy the electrochromic neutral tinting over the broad visible-near-infrared (Vis-NIR) range. Here, we report a bimetallic NiCoO2 nanowire electrochromic film which can simultaneously achieve a large optical modulation over the wide-band Vis-NIR range (64.2% at 550 nm and 41.8% at 1000 nm) and high gravimetric capacity (33.6 mA h g−1 under 0.25 A g−1). In addition, the NiCoO2 nanowire film also exhibits transparent-to-brownish grey switching characteristics with fast switching speed (6.8/6.7 s) and good optical memory (24 000 s). Moreover, the optimized NiCoO2 and the MnO2 films are further assembled into the multifunctional smart window, which can monitor the energy storage status in real-time via the color variation. It is believed that the design strategy for bimetallic oxides can immensely extend the application of electrochromic smart windows with dual-band regulation and neutral tinting.

In this work, carbon cloth (CC) was employed as a substrate onto which α-MnO2 nanowires were grown hydrothermally as a secondary support structure. In NaBH4 aqueous solution, the surface of the MnO2 was reduced at room temperature to form α-MnO2/Mn3O4 hierarchical structure. At a current density of 2 A g−1, the specific capacitance of the α-MnO2/Mn3O4@CC was found to be 181 F g−1. The energy density of the asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) assembled by α-MnO2/Mn3O4@CC and activated carbon reaches 118.3 Wh kg−1. After 4000 cycles at a current density of 1 A g−1, the 88% of the capacitance was retained demonstrating good cycle stability. The designed multi-level structure can effectively prevent the stacking and agglomeration of the nanowires, and provides high energy density and good cycle stability in ASC. These results provide a good experimental foundation for the development of advanced, wearable, and energy storage devices.

A new double-ligand Ni-MOF material was prepared using a one-step synthesis preparation and was evaluated as a supercapacitor electrode material. The synergistic effects provided by the double ligand and nickel significantly improved the material’s redox reaction capability, due to the large number of conjugated systems that contributed to improving the electronic conductivity of the material. When this novel Ni-MOF was used as the electrode material in a supercapacitor, a specific capacitance of 318 F g−1 was 1 A g−1. After 4000 cycles, the capacitance of the material was essentially unchanged, indicating excellent cycle stability. In addition, asymmetric supercapacitors (ASC) were assembled using the novel Ni-MOF material together with activated carbon (AC). The power density of the ASC was 225 W kg−1 at an energy density of 30.7 Wh kg−1. This reported work demonstrates an expansion of the application range of Ni-MOF and provides a new approach for the preparation of novel electrode materials.

There are lots of seamounts globally whose primary production is disproportionally greater than the surrounding areas. Compared to other deep-sea environments, however, the seamounts environment is relatively less explored for fungal diversity. In the present study, we explored the fungal community structure in deep-sea sediments from four different stations of the Magellan seamounts environment by using high-throughput sequencing of the ITS1 region. A total of 1,897,618 ITS1 sequences were obtained. Among these sequences, fungal ITS1 sequences could be clustered into 1,662 OTUs. The majority of these sequences belonged to Ascomycota. In the genera level, the most abundant genus was Mortierella (4.79%), which was reported as a common fungal genus in soil and marine sediments, followed by Umbelopsis (3.80%), Cladosporium (2.98%), Saccharomycopsis (2.53%), Aspergillus (2.42%), Hortaea (2.36%), Saitozyma (2.20%), Trichoderma (2.12%), Penicillium (2.11%), Russula (1.86%), and Verticillium (1.40%). Most of these recovered genera belong to Ascomycota. The Bray-Curtis analysis showed that there was 37 to 85% dissimilarity of fungal communities between each two sediment samples. The Principal coordinates analysis clearly showed variations in the fungal community among different sediment samples. These results suggested that there was a difference in fungal community structures not only among four different sampling stations but also for different layers at the same station. The depth and geographical distance significantly affect the fungal community, and the effect of depth and geographical distance on the structure of the fungal community in the Magellan seamounts is basically same. Most of the fungi were more or less related to plants, these plant parasitic/symbiotic/endophytic fungi constitute a unique type of seamounts environmental fungal ecology, different from other marine ecosystems.

In recent years, the hadal trenches have been recognized as biological hot spots for deep sea researchers. Due to high hydrostatic pressure, low temperatures, high salinity and low nutrients, the m...

Recent reports have revealed diverse and abundant fungal communities in the deep-sea biosphere, while their composition, distribution, and variations in seamount zones are poorly understood. Using a metabarcoding approach targeting the ITS2 regions, we present the structure of the fungal community in 18 sediment samples from the Magellan seamount area of the northwest Pacific. A total of 1,979 fungal OTUs was obtained, which were taxonomically assigned to seven phyla, 17 classes, 43 orders, 7 families, and 98 genera. The majority of these OTUs were affiliated to Basidiomycota (873 OTUs, 44.11% of total OTUs) and Ascomycota (486 OTUs, 24.56% of total OTUs), followed by other five minor phyla (Mortierellomycota, Chytridiomycota, Mucoromycota, Glomeromycota, and Monoblepharidomycota). Sordriomycetes is the most abundant class, followed by Eurotiomycetes, and Dothideomycetes. Five genera were common in most of the samples, including worldwide reported genera Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Chaetomium, and Penicillium. The environmental data we collected (sampling depth, sampling location latitude and longitude, organic carbon content, and organic nitrogen content in the sediment) had no significant influence on the composition and distribution of fungal communities. Our findings provide valuable information for understanding the distribution and potential ecological functions of fungi in the deep-sea sediments of the Magellan seamounts.

Increasing evidence suggests that fungal communities are key components of biogeochemical cycles in coastal ecosystems. While several studies highlighted strong spatial patterns in fungal abundance and diversity, there are very few studies using a more integrative approach to study the spatio-temporal distribution of fungi, taking also the active part of the community into account. To better understand the consequences of anthropogenic activities, e.g. marine aquaculture, for fungal community composition and activities, we simultaneously evaluated the temporal (four different seasons) and spatial dynamics in total (DNA) and active (RNA) fungal communities in relation to several major physicochemical properties. Fungal communities were highly diverse, but showed the ubiquitous dominance of Dikarya and the occasional predominance of Glomeromycota, Mucoromycota, Mortierellomycota, Chytridiomycota, Mortierellomycota, Olpidiomycota, and Rozellomycota. Thereby, fungal diversity indices showed a much higher seasonal variation than with the degree of aquaculture activity, for both total and active communities. This notion is supported by co-occurrence networks exhibiting a clear seasonal pattern. Furthermore, fungal community structure in coastal waters showed distinct relationships with environmental factors varying both with season and in space. For both, total and active fungal communities, a combination of environmental variables such as temperature, DO and NO2- exhibited the greatest impact on community structure. Our study demonstrates a distinct spatio-temporal dynamics of both, total and active fungi and provides a foundation to better understand the ecological roles of marine fungi in coastal ecosystems in relation to mariculture activities.

In order to alleviate the cyclic attenuation caused by the dissolution of poly-selenides in lithium/sodium storage devices, quantitative selenium was slowly evaporated on the surface of sodium citrate derived carbon (SCDC) at low temperature, and simultaneously the element Se was doped. Benefiting from the synergistic effects of the domain-limiting effect of embedded nanopores on Se nanoparticles and the stability of SCDC with Se doped during the embedding and stripping of Na ions, Se@C versus sodium metal exhibits high second specific capacity of 485 mAh·g−1 and unexpected stability at 0.1 A g−1 and 1 A g−1. Se@C versus lithium metal exhibits high second specific capacity of 1185 mAh·g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and excellent stability. Together with the simple and application of synthesis method, Se@C composite is expected to become an anode material for large sodium/lithium storage devices.

Conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) are applied to investigate the nanoscale current imaging of the Cu-dopped NiO thin film on fluorine tin oxide (FTO) substrate. The results show that the Cu doping has a significant impact on the nanoscale current and work function of NiO film. The higher nanoscale current and work function is probably attributed to the presence of Cu+ and nickel vacancy defects. The nanoscale current is consistent to Richardson-Schottky (RS) thermionic emission model.

Conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) are applied to visualize the nanoscale current imaging and potential imaging of the NiO thin film on fluorine tin oxide (FTO) substrate. The results show that the grain boundary (GB) has a significant impact on the nanoscale current and potential of NiO film . The electronic conductivity and work function of NiO in grain face is higher than that of the NiO film on GB. The width of the conductive zone in the NiO film over GBs is ∼60 nm. The higher nanoscale current and work function in grain face is probably attributed to the presence of nickel vacancy (V Ni) defects and excess oxygen (O2− ) defects. The GB barrier in single-layer and bilayer NiO film was ∼0.0169 eV and ∼0.0226 eV, respectively. The nanoscale current is consistent to Schottky thermionic emission model.

Single-crystal heterostructured multiferroic (PbTiO3) PTO-(CoFe2O4) CFO nanoplate composites were prepared by a simple two-step hydrothermal process. The CFO nanoparticles with the size of 20–80 nm selectively grow on the positively polarized surface of the single-crystal and single-domain PTO nanoplate. The TEM results demonstrate an epitaxial growth relation between the PTO nanoplates and CFO nanoparticles. The results of the temperature-dependence magnetization of the composites under zero field cooled (ZFC) condition show a novel broad diffuse region around the PTO ferroelectric phase transition (Tc) for the first time. The total change of magnetization (Δ M) near Tc is determined to be (2.71 ± 0.5) × 10−3 emu, a change of 46.2%, implying a giant magnetoelectric coupling in these single-crystal heterostructured multiferroic PTO-CFO nanoplate composites. Such effect has been attributed to the absence of the substrate clamping and single domain in ferroelectric PTO nanoplate.

The hadal zone is among the least studied habitats on the planet, and the composition, distribution and variations of the biological communities in the hadal zone are poorly understood. Recent explorations of the ocean trenches have revealed distinctive metabolic and functional microbial communities in the hadal biosphere. Compared to bacteria and archaea, fungal community in hadal trenches is poorly documented. In this study, we present, for the first time, results of a comparative survey of the sediment-associated fungal communities at the Yap Trench by using high-throughput sequencing and culture-based techniques. The fungal diversity obtained from these techniques were different, with 11.1% of the fungal genera shared between both techniques. Through ITS2 (internal transcribed spacer 2 of the rDNA) metabarcode sequencing from 42 sediment samples, 890 fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were found based on clustering at a 97% sequence similarity cutoff level. Of these OTUs, 98 OTUs belonged to Ascomycota, 52 OTUs to Basidiomycota, 1 OTU to Chytridiomycota, 4 OTUs to Mortierellomycota, 19 OTUs to Mucoromycota and 2 OTUs to Rozellomycota, whereas 714 OTUs could not be assigned to any fungal phylum. The Ascomycota and the Basidiomycota comprised 49.74% and 5.84% of the total sequences, respectively t. Eurotiomycetes was identified as the most dominant fungal class. The culture-based technique also revealed Eurotiomycetes as the most abundant class, but some classes, such as Endogonomycetes and Umbelopsidomycetes, were not detected by the culture-based technique. Altogether, our findings provide valuable information for the understanding of fungal distribution and potential ecological roles of fungi in deep-sea hadal trenches.

Recently, the pollution and damage caused by antibiotics in water have aroused serious concerns. In this situation, it is extremely important to develop a highly effective approach to detect antibiotics in water. In this contribution, we built a Cd-MOF material with stable fluorescence properties, using bbi = 1,4-bis(2-methyl-imidazol-1-yl)butane and H2L = 1,2-phenylenediacetic acid as organic ligands and Cd(NO3)2·4H2O as the metal node. The highly selective response of this MOF probe to ceftriaxone sodium (an antibiotic) can reach up to the ppb level in water, along with a fast response time, acid and alkali resistance, and anti-interference ability.

MnO2 possesses multiple crystal phases and various geometrical morphologies, so there remains a big challenge to simultaneously control the crystal phases and geometrical morphologies of MnO2 by a facile process. Indeed, these controllable syntheses will provide material bases to investigate their effects on the specific capacitance. Herein, benefiting from the first attempt of using Co2+ as a phase transformation-inducing agent and a doping ion, we present an interesting report on controllable phase transformation from δ- to α-MnO2 and their morphology evolution from nanosheets to nanowires. These transformations need the synergistic effect between MnCO3 and Co2+. Furthermore, three dimensional hierarchical α-MnO2@δ-MnO2 core–shell heterophase nanostructures were fabricated to improve capacitance performance. Impressively, the specific capacitance of α-MnO2@δ-MnO2 reaches up to 206 F g−1, which is higher than those of the corresponding single components. An asymmetric supercapacitor device based on the α-MnO2@δ-MnO2 cathode exhibits a good energy density of 12.9 W h kg−1 at a power density of 230 W kg−1 and excellent cycle lives with a decrease of 26% capacitance after 10 000 charge/discharge cycles.

In marine environments, increasing occurrence and numbers of microbial Antibiotic Resistance Gene (ARG) subtypes, especially of new beta-lactamases, have received lots of attention in recent years. Updated databases with novel developed tools provide new opportunities to obtain more comprehensive ARG profiles as well as ARG-carrying hosts. Yet, ARGs in human-associated marine aquaculture environments, e.g. in China, remains largely unknown. Using metagenomic data, we revealed high numbers of Multi-drug Resistance, beta-lactamase and aminoglycoside genes throughout the year. Thereby, Alpha- and Gamma-proteobacteria were assigned to the majority of beta-lactamase-carrying hosts. From Metagenome-assembled genomes, three blaF-like beta-lactamases (91.7-94.7% identity with beta-lactamase from Mycobacterium fortuitum (blaF)) were exclusively observed in an unclassified Mycobacterium genus. Notably, other new beta-lactamases, VMB-1-like (n = 3) (58.5-67.4% identity to Vibrio metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (VMB-1)), were found in Gammaproteobacteria. Additionally, 175 Multi-drug Resistant Organisms possessed at least 3 ARG subtypes, and seven of the potentially pathogenic genera (n = 17) were assigned to Gammaproteobacteria. These results, together with high-risk ARGs (e.g. tetM, dfrA14 and dfrA17), provide hosts and new beta-lactamases of ARGs in Chinese coastal aquaculture.

Graphical abstract, The genus Vibrio contains a diverse group of heterotrophic bacteria, which are members of ubiquitous and abundant microbial communities in coastal ecosystems. Vibrio has been frequently found in a wide range of marine environments either by employing Vibrio-specific 16S rRNA sequencing or culturing methods. A combination of molecular and cultivation-dependent methods was developed to more precisely discriminate between different members of the genus Vibrio in seawater. This newly developed assay was subsequently applied to characterize Vibrio community composition in surface water at 18 mariculture sites. It Substantially improved the taxonomic resolution of Vibrio species when compared to traditional 16S rRNA analysis. Our qPCR and cultivation analyses revealed that average Vibrio abundance (Vibrio 16S rRNA gene copy numbers: 3.46 × 106 to 6.70 × 106 copies L−1) and live cell numbers (5.65 × 104–5.75 × 105 cfu mL−1) are significantly related to pH. Total bacteria and Vibrio-specific 16S rRNA metabarcode sequenceing resulted in a total of 10 and 32 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), respectively, and 15 Vibrio species were identified by targeted cultivation of Vibrio strains, with Vibrio fortis and V. brasiliensis dominating in the mariculture areas. The purpose of this study was to combine several analytical methods to improve current sequence-based Vibrio community surveys, and to prove for the effectiveness of this methodological approach comprehensively testing for Vibrio dynamics in different coastal environments.

The Vibrio genus inhabit estuarine and marine ecosystem throughout the world and can cause severe infections in humans and animals. Previous studies have demonstrated the dynamics of Vibrio at both community and population levels and assessed the close relationship between environmental factors and Vibrio diversity and abundance, such as temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen. It is also generally believed that aquaculture is the fastest-growing food sector, which is also applying great environmental impacts on microbial communities in aquatic ecosystems. However, our understanding of the spatiotemporal quantification of Vibrio throughout the four seasons in the aquaculture zone and response to environmental factors remains poor. To explore the spatiotemporal distribution and abundance of the Vibrio community with their related environmental factors and detect the relationships among them, we collected 10 seawater sites spanning four seasons across the whole year in Dongshan Bay for investigating the Vibrio community dynamics. Marked differences in diversity and abundance of the Vibrio community were observed between seasons, which were mainly driven by temperature, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, and nitrite. qPCR analysis showed that Vibrio abundance was most abundant in the summer (5.37 × 106 copies/L), compared with the autumn (4.58 × 106 copies/L), spring (1.18 × 106 copies/L), and winter (1.55 × 104 copies/L). A total of 22 Vibrio operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and 28 species were identified by universal bacteria 16S rRNA gene and cultivation methods, with Vibrio fortis the dominant in these aquaculture areas. To summarize, our present study is one of the few studies to research the occurrence of Vibrio in marine aquaculture of South China, and the results indicate that Vibrio are widely distributed in aquaculture environment and that a further risk assessment is needed to be conducted.

A two-dimensional zinc(II)-based metal-organic framework [Zn • (BA) • (BBI)] was synthesized from 1,2-benzenediacetic acid and 1,1'-(1,4-butanediyl) bis(imidazole) via a solvothermal reaction. The crystal exhibits good chemical stability in the pH range from 2 to 12, and strong fluorescence with excitation/emission maxima of 270/290 nm. The crystal is shown to by a viable fluorescent probe for the detection of ascorbic acid (AA) and the antibiotics chloramphenicol (CHL) and ceftriaxone (CRO). Fluorescence intensity of crystal dispersion is significantly quenched with increasing concentrations of AA/CHL/CRO. Quenching occurs even in the presence of other substances. The assay is fast (5 s) and has a low detection limit (1.6 ppb for AA, 12 ppb for CHL and 3.9 ppb for CRO). The crystal still has a good quenching effect on AA/CHL/CRO after washing and using for five times. The response of the probe is related to the interplay between the MOF and analytes via energy absorption competition. Graphical abstractSchematic diagram of preparing Zn • (BA) • (BBI) and responding to target analytes. BA: 1,2-phenyldiacetic acid; BBI: 1,1'-(1,4-butanediyl)bis(imidazole); Zn • (BA) • (BBI): Crystal chemical formula.

The combustion characteristics of propellants heavily affect the performance of solid-propellant air-turbo rockets (SP-ATRs). In this study, an SP-ATR experimental combustion system was developed, ...

A novel aerobic denitrifying fungus strain was isolated from coastal seawater and identified as Fusarium solani strain DS3, which was capable of aerobic nitrogen removal and exhibited tolerance to low pH and high salinity. The removal rates of nitrate, nitrite and ammonium were 3.33, 2.56 and 5.19 mg·L−1·h−1, respectively. Detection of N2O and CO2 in headspace gas samples indicates its capability for aerobic denitrification using nitrite as electron acceptor (but not nitrate). The unabated total nitrogen in nitrate treatments in nitrogen balance revealed that nitrate was incompetent to trigger aerobic denitrification. We measured 22.02% and 11.84% of total nitrogen converted to gaseous nitrogen using around 80 mg·L−1 of nitrite and ammonium as nitrogen source, respectively. Nitrite reductase activity assay revealed that dissimilatory and assimilatory nitrite reductases worked together in nitrite reduction. The present study indicates that fungal strain DS3 is a promising candidate for nitrogen removal, especially for saline wastewater.

Zero-dimensional amorphous Ni3S4 quantum dots (QDs) are easy to agglomerate due to their huge surface energy and van der Waals force, and have a large number of interfaces that hinder electron transfer. Although the zeolite imidazole framework nanosheets (ZIN-P) have a conductive conjugated system, but the specific capacity is relatively low. Here, we propose a synergistic strategy that combines amorphous Ni3S4 QDs and ZIN-P, so that the electrochemical performance of the composite material is better than that of a single component. It was demonstrated that the electrochemical performance of the composite material can be enhanced twice versus that of amorphous Ni3S4 QDs and 6 times versus that of ZIN-P. Subsequently, Ni3S4 QDs@ZIN-P and activated carbon were assembled into an asymmetric supercapacitor, the energy density can reach 41.5 Wh kg−1. This work is expected to add new ideas for the rational design of electrode material structure.

The preferred Pt counter electrode (CE) has been an economic burden for commercialization of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). To address this issue, we present here the fabrication of a series of hollow PtNi alloy CEs tailored with ZnO micro/nanostructures. The preliminary results demonstrate that alloyed PtNi electrode displays markedly increased performances in transporting charges, catalyzing redox electrolyte, and remaining persistent stability under long-term operation in comparison with standard Pt electrode. The optimized liquid-junction DSSC device from PtNi1.07 CE yields a maximal power conversion efficiency of 9.08%, suggesting a 43% enhancement compared with 6.35% for Pt based photovoltaics.

Although hybrid solar cells take advantages of both inorganic and organic semiconductors for high performance, there have not been comparably photoelectric conversion efficiencies as expected from this kind of solar cells till now. The photoelectric response behavior of inorganic/organic hybrid solar cells has been explained on the theory of inorganic solar cells, but the distinctive wavelength dependent photoelectric character of organic semiconductors has not been well considered. In this work, Ag2S/organic bulk heterojunction solar cell devices were designed and fabricated in-situ on indium tin oxide (ITO) based on the direct metal surface elemental reaction (DMSER) method, to understand the corresponding photoinduced charge carrier dynamics under different wavelength light. The commonly used small molecule Spiro-OMeTAD and polymeric PTB7-Th were selected as the organic components of the fabricated solar cells. In Ag2S/Spiro-OMeTAD, Ag2S donated the charge carriers and controlled the photoinduced charge carrier dynamics of the devices at both 355 nm and 532 nm lights. Under 532 nm light, the PTB7-Th acted as hole transport materials (HTM) rather than charge carrier donor. These results indicated that hybrid thin films without wavelength dependent charge carrier dynamics is preferred for high performance solar cells.

Undesirable side reactions at interface usually ruin the electrode stability and lead to serious self-discharge or decrease the coulombic efficiency. An ionic permeable and electronic insulating amorphous TiO2 passivation could be deposited on the carbon encapsulated LiTi2(PO4)3 electrode through sol-gel method, which drastically enhance the aqueous electrode stability and oxygen tolerance in wide potential window by kinetically suppressing the side reactions at new formed interface. Raman depth profile and SEM have confirmed this surface coating, while nanoelectronic conductivity analysis reveal the TiO2 layer is electronically insulate. The capacity retention of the TiO2 passivated carbon encapsulated LiTi2(PO4)3/LiNO3/LiMn2O4 coin cell for 2000 cycles is 66% assembled in ambient air, which is higher than 55% for the one without TiO2 coating. Electrochemical investigation suggests the TiO2 layer is Li+ ionic conductive, which suppressed the surface water reduction or oxygen reduction reaction. As an interestingly result, the cell stability improvement also benefited from the less degradation of the LiMn2O4 counter electrode. This comprehensive understanding of the electrode passivation using an ionic conductive layer can be potentially applied in other electrochemical devices.

Exploring novel hybrid materials with efficient microstructure using facile approaches is highly urgent in designing supercapacitor electrodes. Here, the Ni-B membrane was used for coating the porous Co 3 O 4 nanoneedle arrays which supported on the nickel foam (NF) frameworks through a rapid chemical reduction process (denoted as NF/Co 3 O 4 @NiB). The Ni-B membrane both provided sufficient active sites for redox reactions and inhibited the aggregation of formed hybrid architectures. Benefiting from the unique structural design and strongly coupled effects between porous Co 3 O 4 arrays and Ni-B membrane, the resulted NF/Co 3 O 4 @NiB electrode exhibited high areal capacitance of 3.47 F cm −2 (0.48 mAh cm −2 ) at a current density of 2.5 mA cm −2 , an excellent rate capability while maintaining 95.5% capacity retention after 2000 cycles. The asymmetric supercapacitor constructed with the NF/Co 3 O 4 @NiB as positive electrode and hierarchical porous carbon (HPC) as negative electrode also showed ideal capacitive behavior, and simultaneously delivered high energy and power densities. The easily decoration of Ni-B membrane on various active nanoarrays may arouse more novel design about hybrid architectures for large-scale applications.

A one-pot synthesis of novel hierarchical flower-like Cu 7.2 S 2 Se 2 nanocrystals was developed based on the direct metal surface elemental reaction (DMSER) method. This new room temperature synthesis is an economic and environmentally friendly soft chemical approach. The prepared Cu 7.2 S 2 Se 2 nanocrystals uniformly cover the surface of the Cu substrates. The mechanism of formation was investigated by observing the materials produced from changing the reaction time, the molar ratio of Na 2 S to elemental selenium, and the volume of solvent. The crystal structure, surface morphologies and light absorption properties were collected by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV–visible spectroscopy. The results show that the as-prepared ternary nanocrystals are face-centered cubic and have an optical bandgap of 1.58 eV, which is ideal for potential solar cell applications. Transient photovoltage spectroscopy (TPV) was used to evaluate the photovoltaic performance of pure Cu 7.2 S 2 Se 2 nanocrystalline powder as well as in-situ generated Cu 7.2 S 2 Se 2 /ZnO heterojunctions. The current work offers a novel and simple approach for preparing ternary chalcogenide semiconductors for photoelectric and photocatalytic applications.

LaFeO 3 nanoparticles immobilized on the surface of monodisperse carbon spheres have been obtained through a facile and environmentally friendly ultrasonic assisted surface ions adsorption method. The LaFeO 3 /C nanocomposite was evaluated as photo-Fenton like catalyst for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm). The LaFeO 3 /C nanocomposite possesses high specific surface area compared with pure LaFeO 3 and significantly enhanced photo-Fenton like catalytic performance. The possible formation process of the LaFeO 3 /C nanocomposite and the mechanism for photo-Fenton like reaction were discussed. The superior property was attributed to the synergistic effects from the photo-Fenton like process and the presence of carbon spheres. In addition, the heterogeneous process led to better recyclability of this type of catalyst.

By using a novel Zn(S) 2 L complex (L = N–hexyl–3–{2–(4–(2,2′:6′,2′′–terpyridin–4′–yl)phenyl)ethenyl}carbazole) as a surface stabilizing agent, the self–assembled microspheres of Zn(S) 2 L–capped ZnS nanocrystals are obtained in a simple ethanol solvothermal process. Because of the strong π character of the two terminal sulfur atoms (S 1– valence state) in the Zn(S) 2 L complex, the Zn(S) 2 L complex could incorporate ZnS nanocrystals together by a homologous Zn⟵S→Zn unit interface. In the work, the homologous Zn⟵S→Zn unit interface is proposed to function as a π–conjugated bridge for effective electron–transfer transition from Zn(S) 2 L moiety to ZnS nanocrystal to significantly improve the photoelectric response performance, such as the long lifetime of photogenerated charge carriers from 8 × 10 −8 s to 4 × 10 −5 s and the high recombination luminescence quantum efficiency (QE) up to 69%, which are confirmed by the systematically investigation with Raman spectra, XPS spectra, Uv–vis absorption spectra, photoluminescence (PL) spectra and transient photovoltage (TPV) technique. The ZnS/Zn(S) 2 L used as extra electron donor in organic/inorganic hybrid solar cell device could increase performance up to about 30%.

Coordination coupling induced self-assembly of ZnS microparticles was performed with the help of a π-conjugated sulphur-terminal Zn(II) complex ZnS2L (L = N-hexyl-3-{2-[4-2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridin-4′-yl-phenyl]ethenyl}-carbazole). The interactions between ZnS and ZnS2L components at the interface, which were analyzed by far-IR and XPS, resulted in a tunable single-photon excited fluorescence and an enhanced nonlinear optical response, including a two-photon absorption cross section and a two-photon excited fluorescence. Such an enhancement in nonlinear optical properties was triggered by the coordination coupling effect between terminal S atoms of ZnS2L and naked Zn2+ ions at the surface of ZnS particles. Thus, the novel hybrid system displayed a unique two-photon excited fluorescence to facilitate promising two-photon microscopy imaging of HepG2 cells upon NIR light illumination at 840 nm. The hybrid shows a stronger ability to enter the cells than free ZnS2L.

In this reported work, S-Ni2(OH)2CO3@MWCNTs nanocomposites were prepared using a one-step hydrothermal method. Among them, S atoms are doped into Ni2(OH)2CO3 without replacing OH−, and there is electronic interaction between Ni2(OH)2CO3 and S atoms or MWCNTs. Finally, four materials with similar morphologies were prepared to establish a system model to determine how S doping affects the electrochemical performance of the host material. The experimental results show that S doping can improve the electrochemical performance of S-Ni2(OH)2CO3@MWCNTs. The asymmetric supercapacitors is assembled using S-Ni2(OH)2CO3@MWCNTs and activated carbon, with an energy density of 45 Wh kg−1 and excellent long-term cycle stability. This research provides a new strategy for improving the electrochemical performance of supercapacitor electrode materials.

In this reported work, Ni3S4 quantum dots (QDs) composite graphene/carbon nanotube (G/CNTs) composites were prepared using a one-step method. Among them, graphene is produced by carbon nanotubes and Ni catalyst. G/CNTs can not only prevent the agglomeration of Ni3S4 QDs, but also preclude this insulating drawback caused by the interface of QDs. XPS analysis data showed that after adding G/CNTs to Ni3S4 QDs, the electron interaction was stronger, which promotes the electron transport in the material. The electrochemical test results of the electrode material showed that G/CNTs increased the specific capacitance of the Ni3S4 QDs by 4.5 times and its rate capability from 22% to 82%. The energy density of asymmetric supercapacitor assembled with electrodes containing the Ni3S4 QDs@G/CNTs and activated carbon achieved 50 Wh kg−1. This work provides a reasonable way for improving the electrochemical performance of supercapacitor electrode materials.

Degenerate semiconductor is very highly desired in energy conversion and storage technologies due to its metal-like conduction behaviors. This is the first time the doping S2 in Ni3S2 lattice into chemically homogeneous Ni3(S)1.1(S2)0.9 superlattice structure is proposed to induce a degenerate characteristic towards excellent electrical conductivity and high-rate capability. In this study, a series of the chemically homogeneous S2-doped Ni3(S)1.8(S2)0.2, Ni3(S)1.6(S2)0.4, Ni3(S)1.3(S2)0.7, and Ni3(S)1.1(S2)0.9 micropyramid arrays on Ni foam were synthesized by reacting the Ni foam and alkaline sulfur aqueous solution in different S22- concentrations. The perfect Ni3(S)1.1(S2)0.9 superlattice structure corresponds to the periodic S–Ni–S2 atom arrangements in whole crystal lattice, which endows a degenerate characteristic of metal-like electrical conductivity to significantly improve the electrochemical performance. The bulk series resistance (Rs) value is only 0.62 Ω, while the charge-transfer resistance (Rct) is nearly 0 Ω in the superlattice Ni3(S)1.1(S2)0.9 electrode. As a cathode material for application in lithium ion batteries (LIBs), a very high specific capacity of 874 mAh g−1 is achieved at current density of 200 mA g−1. Remarkably, it still holds a high capacity of 565 mAh g−1 at current density of 500 mA g−1, indicating its superior high-rate capability. This study reveals that the periodic S–Ni–S2 atom arrangements in crystal lattice is a key factor in determining the superlattice structure, high specific capacity, and the dynamic behaviors of electron/ion transport.

Fe-doped NiO nanocrystals (NCs) were prepared by a simple solvothermal route and applied as a hole injection layer (HIL) in quantum dots light-emitting diodes QLEDs. The transmittance of the film is more than 82%. The resulting devices show pure QD electroluminescent emissions with a maximum EL brightness of 27624 cd m−2 after doping 5% mol Fe in NiO, due to the enhanced carrier concentration and conductivity. The external quantum efficiency (EQE), current efficiency (CA) and lifetime of the QLED device showed the maximum values of 3.84%, 5.93 cd A−1 and 11490 h, respectively.

Nickel-phosphorus semimetallic compounds with an open-framework structure have attracted increasing interests as electrode materials for supercapacitor applications. In this work, ultrafine Ni–P@Ni nanotubes (NTs) with a novel three-dimensional network are synthesized by using a one-pot hydrothermal method under different temperatures to form the electrode material for hybrid supercapacitors. The energy storage performances of the Ni–P@Ni NTs electrodes are systematically investigated, and the results demonstrate that the Ni–P@Ni NTs possess a superior specific capacity of 771.8 C g−1 at 1 A g−1 in a three-electrode cell. Remarkably, a specific capacity of 350.2 C g−1 can still be maintained when the current density increases up to 30 A g−1. The energy storage performance of the as-prepared Ni–P nanowires (NWs) and Ni11(HPO3)8(OH)6@Ni nanoparticles (NPs) also are evaluated for comparison. Furthermore, a hybrid supercapacitor (HSC) is assembled with the Ni–P@Ni NTs as the positive electrode and activated carbon (AC) as the negative electrode. The as-assembled HSCs show a high energy density of 58.7 Wh kg−1 at a relatively high-power density of 945 W kg−1, outweighing most of the hybrid supercapacitors reported in the literature. Furthermore, such a hybrid supercapacitor displays an excellent cycling stability (91.2% after 6000 cycles at 5 A g−1) under a voltage of 1.6 V.

This is the first time a series of chemically homogeneous superlattice Cu7.2Sx (x = 4.07, 4.52, 6.01, 6.20, 6.45) nanowires have been successfully synthesized by heavy doping of S2 species in Cu7.2S4 lattice through a simple wet-chemical route. This superlattice structure is a polytypoid structure tuned by adjusting the atom ratio of S2 to S in lattice configuration. The perfect superlattice Cu7.2S6.20 structure interestingly consists of two alternating lattice fringes corresponding to the atom layers of Cu–S and Cu–S2 in an even spacing of 5.70 A. The article describes the formation, morphology, composition and structure of the Cu7.2Sx superlattice nanowires. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra and transient photovoltage (TPV) measurements reveal that the generation and separation efficiency of the photogenerated charges of Cu7.2Sx nanowires could be greatly improved by adjusting the S2/S ratio in the lattice configuration, and thus enhance the luminescence quantum efficiency. This study reveals that the S2 species in Cu7.2Sx nanowires play a very important role in determining the dynamic properties of photogenerated charge carriers.

The hierarchical flower-like β-In2S3 catalyst assembled from 2D nanosheets was prepared using an organic-component depletion method utilizing inorganic-organic hybrids indium diethyldithiocarbamate (In-DDTC) as a single-source precursor. The crystallization, morphology and composition of the as-synthesized β-In2S3 were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, EDS and XPS, respectively. The β-In2S3 possessed high specific surface area of 134.1 m2 g-1, adsorption capacity of 195.5 mg g-1 for methylene blue, and extreme photodecolorization speed under visible light irradiation for the complete removal of methyl orange (MO) dye within 15 min and tetracycline within 60 min. Although methyl orange concentration decreased quickly, the total organic carbon (TOC) decreased slowly. UV-vis and mass spectrometry (MS) were applied to analyze the intermediates coming from the photodecolorization of MO. In order to estimate the roles of active species during the decolorization of MO, trapping experiments were conducted to determine the main active species during the decolorization process. The results indicated that . O2 − radicals and e-1 were the key intermediates. This enhanced activity was attributed to its unique structures assembled from 2D nanosheets with thickness of ca. 5-7 nm, leading to high specific surface area, wide range of pore size distribution and great efficiency in absorbing light and electron/hole separation. The hierarchical flower-like β-In2S3 demonstrated great advantages in the treatment of various wastewater pollutants including textile dyes and antibiotics.

Well-dispersed and uniform ZnSn(OH)6 submicrocubes with the average size of about 400 nm were successfully synthesized through the chemical conversion of different precipitates assisted by ultrasonic treatment and the subsequent aging process in an economical aqueous solution. The products were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The growth mechanism has been proposed and the reaction conditions were carefully investigated. It was found experimentally that ultrasound irradiation, aging process and the presence of Na2CO3 in the synthetic process had an impact on the formation of the ZnSn(OH)6 submicrocubes. Additionally, the obtained ZnSn(OH)6 submicrocubes can be applied for the preparation of the Zn2SnO4/SnO2 mixtures by simple calcination.

We have reported an alcohol-thermal method to in-situ synthesis of Cadmium Selenide (CdSe) nanocrystals/thin films on Cd/indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) substrates through a direct reaction of Se and Cd. In the synthetic system, ligands and surfactants are not introduced, and concentration of reaction precursors is not high, thus not only it is a very economic and environmental-friendly route, but also the CdSe film without any impurities is obtained. The Cd deposited on ITO substrates by magnetron sputtering acted as dual roles: reactant source and hard template for the final product. The microstructure is analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) is deposited on CdSe film to fabricate a hybrid thin film solar cell device with ITO/CdSe/P3HT/Al structure to demonstrate solar light to electrical energy conversion.

Recyclable visible-light photocatalyst Fe3O4@TiO2 with core-shell structure was prepared by a simple synthetic strategy using solvothermal crystallization of titanium precursor on preformed Fe3O4 nanopartiles. The photo-degradation reaction of neutral red aqueous solution was tested to evaluate the visible-light photocatalytic activity of the as prepared Fe3O4@TiO2 nanoparticles, which show excellent photocatalytic activity compared with commercial P25 catalyst. Moreover, the Fe3O4@TiO2 nanocomposites can be easily separated from the reaction mixture, and maintain favorable photocatalytic activity after five cycles. The high visible light absorption of the Fe3O4@TiO2 nanocomposites may originate from the absence of electronic heterojunction, excellently dispersity and the high specific surface area of the as-synthesized Fe3O4@TiO2 samples.

A novel thermo- and biodegradable MnSt2–kaolin–polyethylene (signed as MKPE) composite film was prepared through a melt blending technique. Manganese stearate and common kaolin were employed as thermo-degradable additives and biodegradable promoter to improve the degradable efficiency of the waste PE. Thermo-oxidative testing was carried out in an air oven maintained at 70°C simulating a compost temperature. The biodegradation of the aging films was also investigated by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide of films in aquatic test systems according to the International Standards ISO 14852 (1999). The composite film was characterized by electronic universal testing machine, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, attenuated total reflection-flourier transformed infrared spectroscopy and thermo gravimetric analysis. These results showed that the MKPE film exhibited a high degree of susceptibility to thermo-oxidation and biodegradation. After thermal aging for 30 days, the mechanical properties of MKPE films reduced quickly and oxygen groups were introduced into the polymer chains. The kaolin particles wrapped in polymers were exposed gradually because of the rupture of polymer chains by thermal aging. The biodegradation degree reached 24.26% after incubation in an aqueous medium for 60 days. A possible mechanism for thermal oxidative degradation and biodegradation was also discussed. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:939–945, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin film, a highly promising and low-cost absorber layer material for solar cells, has been in situ fabricated on stainless steel and FTO glass substrates for the first time, using a one-step solvothermal treatment of CuZnSn-alloyed film with sulphur or selenium powder. The resulting products were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy. Raman spectroscopy was used to characterize and confirm the formation of CZTS. The effects of temperature, reaction time, the ratio of Cu/Zn/Sn, and non-elemental reactants on the formation of CZTS nanocrystal films were assessed, and we found that the reaction temperature was a key factor in determining the properties of the final products. Pure CZTS phase forms at a temperature of 250 °C or higher. Our method produces CZTS thin films at 250 °C, the lowest reaction temperature that can be used in the process and the lowest temperature of any current fabrication system. We also found that flexible substrates promote the growth of CZTS nanocrystals. Using flexible substrates in the in situ fabrication of nanocrystalline thin films may make it possible to use CZTS for industrial applications.

We present a facile, non-injection synthesis of high quality CZTS nanocrystals by using simple inorganic salts, sulfur powders and (CH3)3COK (KTB) as precursors. The uniqueness and creativity is the utilization of KTB as sulfur activating agent and stabilizing surfactant agent.