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The effects of support materials on catalytic performance were investigated in catalytic removal of toluene. And the Mn–Ce binary oxides as active components were supported on ZrO2, SiO2, γ-Al2O3 and TiO2 support materials. Many techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method (BET), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and NH3-temperature-programmed desorption (NH3-TPD), were used to characterize physicochemical properties. Among the different catalysts, the MnCe/ZrO2 catalyst with the lowest specific surface area (39.7 m2/g) shows the best catalytic activity. In terms of toluene conversion, the activity order is as follows: MnCe/ZrO2 > MnCe/TiO2 ≈ MnCe/SiO2 > MnCe/Al2O3. The better performance of MnCe/ZrO2 should be attributed to the low-temperature reducibility, and abundant surface species (Mn4+ and lattice oxygen). And XPS and TPR results reveal that more surface abundant Mn and Ce elements generate good interaction in MnCe/ZrO2. The weak interaction between metal oxide and support also boosts the dispersion and complete reduction of MnCe oxides at low temperature. In addition, the in-situ DRIFTS results clarify that the carbonate species are main intermediates in MnCe/ZrO2 sample during surface reaction process.

Nowadays, the harm of antibiotics residues in environments to human health and ecological safety has been causing more and more attention. In this paper, a biochar based iron material (MBC) was used to activate persulfate (PS) for the removal of sulfadiazine (SDZ) from aqueous solution. Experiment results indicate that the degradation and mineralization of SDZ by MBC/PS system reached 91.79 and 60 % within 60 min under the optimal reaction conditions, respectively. MBC/PS system exhibited a better performance on SDZ removal compared with MBC/H2O2 system. The addition of Cu2+ ion could enhance the degradation of SDZ by MBC/PS system. PO43-, Cl- and SO42- had a certain degree of inhibitory effect on the SDZ degradation. Both radicals and non-radical species such as SO4•-, •OH and 1O2 participated in the degradation reaction of SDZ by MBC/PS system, but •OH was the main radical species responsible for SDZ degradation. The liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer (LC-MS) technique was used to identify the intermediate products of SDZ, and it was proposed that the degradation of SDZ might be achieved through hydrolyzation, hydroxylation, deamination and amino-oxidization processes. A possible reaction mechanism involving a synergistic effect between PS homogeneous and heterogeneous activation processes as well as both radicals and non-radicals reactions was finally proposed.

Direct oxidation of methane to valuable chemicals is a great challenge as catalysts with both high activity and selectivity for the activation of inert C–H bonds are required. Here, we report the highly efficient and selective photo-oxidation of methane to ethane with dioxygen in a flow reactor using a Au nanoparticle (NP) loaded ZnO/TiO2 hybrid. An ethane production rate of over 5,000 μmol g−1 h−1 with 90% selectivity is achieved, which is more than one order of magnitude higher than the state-of-the-art photocatalytic systems. Detailed characterizations and theoretical studies show that the formation of heterojunctions between ZnO and TiO2 leads to enhanced photocatalytic activity, while maintaining high selectivity owing to the weak overoxidation ability of the main component ZnO. Moreover, the Au cocatalyst enables the facile desorption of methyl (CH3) species as •CH3 radicals in the gas phase, thereby facilitating C2H6 formation and inhibiting overoxidation of CH4 to CO2. Photocatalytic oxidation of methane through oxidative coupling presents a route to higher hydrocarbons but has suffered from low activity and uncontrolled product selectivity. Now, Au nanoparticles loaded onto a ZnO/TiO2 heterostructure are shown to deliver high rate production of ethane.

A series of hollow structured CuCeOx composite catalysts with different Cu/Ce molar ratios were synthesized via a simple hydrothermal approach, which were applied in catalytic combustion of toluene. The XRD and Raman results indicate that partial of Cu ions are incorporated into CeO2 lattice, forming Cu-O-Ce solid solution. This strengthens the synergistic interaction between CuO and CeO2, enhancing the amounts of oxygen vacancies and low-temperature reducibility. Among the serial catalysts, the Cu6Ce4Ox catalyst exhibits superior catalytic performance, and its 90% conversion (T90) is 260 ℃. The high surface area, low-temperature reducibility, and abundant surface active oxygen species are main factors for superior catalytic performance. The DRIFTs result further clarifies the possible pathway for toluene oxidation, that toluene is converted via benzyl alcohol, benzaldehyde, and benzoate species as main intermediates and is finally decomposed to CO2 and H2O.

A series of CuZn/xCe-ZnAl2O4 catalysts (CZ/xCe-ZAO) with different contents of Ce doping (x = 0, 3, 5, and 7 wt%) were prepared by precipitation. The samples were applied for the hydrogenation production from methanol decomposition. Ce doping was found to effectively improve the reaction activity of the catalysts. CZ/5Ce-ZAO exhibits 100.0% methanol conversion and selectivity to hydrogenation of 98.9% at 300 °C (WHSV = 1.5 h−1), which is superior to those of the comparison catalysts. Moreover, the TOF for CZ/5Ce-ZAO increased by 54.7% compared with the pristine sample without Ce doping. In addition, CZ/5Ce-ZAO showed significantly improved stability compared with that of the un-doped catalysts. The obtained catalysts were systematically characterized by N2 sorption, XRD, H2-TPR, XPS, TEM, N2O-TPD, TG–DTA. The results suggested that stronger metal-support interaction (SMSI) existed in the Ce doped samples increased the dispersion of Cu species, which was responsible for the outstanding catalytic performance. Besides, such SMSI was also helpful for inhibiting the sintering of the copper species during the reaction and enhancing stability. CZ/5Ce-ZnAl2O4 shows significantly improved stability compared with the undoped and commercial catalysts.

Grafting of organic groups on the surface of metal-oxide clusters greatly enhances the Li+ ion capacity. Triply organo-substituted polyoxometalates (RN-POMs) display an excellent Li+ ion capacity (...

Controllable crystal phases (α-, β-, γ- and δ-) of MnO2 materials were developed via tuning hydrothermal conditions and investigated in toluene catalytic combustion. Extensive characterization techniques such as XRD, BET, SEM, TEM, H2-TPR and XPS were employed for analyzing the structure-performance relationship between physicochemical properties, such as specific surface area, vacancy/lattice oxygen and their mobility, reduction property and catalytic activity. Results indicated that the degradation activity of MnO2 catalyst greatly hinges on materials intrinsic properties, namely the vacancy oxygen generation, lattice oxygen content and their reduction behaviors. α-MnO2 exhibited the best catalytic activity (0.24 μmol/min @ 240 °C) among the obtained MnO2 materials; however, its cycle stability was inferior to that of δ-MnO2 catalyst owing to the different moderating effect of potassium ions remained within the tunnels or mezzanines structure. In addition, δ-MnO2 showed an easiest reduction property among all the manganese oxides investigated. The findings will shed lights on designing of Mn-based catalysts with a higher VOCs combustion capacity.

A polymer-based hole-transporting layer (HTL) with a tunable work function and highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) position was demonstrated to effectively optimize the anode junctions of optoelectronic devices. Herein, the perfluorinated ionomer (PFI) was utilized to realize the synthesis of a well-dispersed poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT) colloid solution, which could be subsequently cast into an efficient HTL. According to the time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, a uniform, interpenetrating PEDOT network with a deep-lying HOMO position could be obtained in the PEDOT:PFI layer. For solar cells, since a deep-lying HOMO position of the HTL was favorable for minimizing the hole injection barrier, a superior organic photovoltaic efficiency of 15.1% and a perovskite solar cell efficiency of 17.8% were achieved. As for organic photodetectors, a deep-lying HOMO position of the HTL was able to reduce the dark current density (JD) by blocking the leakage current under a reverse bias. Utilizing the PEDOT:PFI with an optimized PFI content, an extremely low JD of 6.2 nA cm−2 with an external quantum efficiency of 67% at 1000 nm wavelength was achieved, which sets a benchmark for the emerging near infrared sensing technologies.

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) has demonstrated excellent performance as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. However, the repeated lithiation and delithiation create a cracking pattern and lead to island formation in the thin-film electrode, resulting in a capacity fading over cycling in lithium-ion batteries (LIB's). In order to control this crack behaviour, we introduce carbon into CZTS thin-films by a hydrothermal method to form CZTS@C composite. CZTS@C significantly reduced the crack pattern formation on the electrode surface as well as improved the conductivity of the CZTS@C electrode. At the early stages of lithiation and delithiation, the volume expansion and contraction of Li–CZTS@C create intra-granular cracking only at the surface level, and it offers a high capacity of about 785 mA h g−1 after 150 cycles at 1000 mA g−1 charging rate, excellent rate capability (942 mA h g−1, 678 mA h g−1 and 435 mA h g−1 at 500 mA g−1, 2000 mA g−1 and 5000 mA g−1), and superior cyclability (925 mA h g−1 even after 200 cycles at 500 mA g−1). The excellent electrochemical performance at high-current rates can be attributed to intra-granular cracking together with carbon coating that provides a short transportation length for both lithium ions and electrons. Moreover, the controlled cracking pattern formation in CZTS@C facilitates faster reaction kinetics, which open up a new solution for the development of high-power thin-film anodes for next-generation LIBs applications.

Effectively converting CO2 into fuels and value-added chemicals remains a major challenge in catalysis, especially under mild conditions. In this study, we report a one-step plasma-enabled catalytic process for CO2 hydrogenation to C2+ hydrocarbons operated at low temperature and atmospheric pressure in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) packed-bed reactor. Plasma without catalyst produces mainly CO (over 80% selectivity), while CH4 becomes the main product when plasma is coupled with the alumina-supported Co catalyst. Interestingly, by simply changing the catalyst-bed configuration within the plasma discharge zone, more C2+ hydrocarbons are selectively produced. High C2+ hydrocarbons selectivity of 46% at ca. 74% CO2 conversion is achieved when operated at the furnace temperature of 25 °C and 10 W DBD plasma. The possible origin of C2+ formation and the significance of catalyst-bed configuration are discussed.

We have demonstrated that alginate with negligible anticoagulant activity can be converted into carbonized nanogels with potent anticoagulant activity through a solid-state heating process. The conversion of alginate into graphene-like nanosheet (GNS)-embedded polyphenolic-alginate nanogels (GNS/Alg-NGs) has been carried out through condensation and carbonization processes. The GNS/Alg-NGs exhibit much stronger anticoagulant activity (>520-fold) compared to untreated alginate, mainly because their polyphenolic structures have a high binding affinity [dissociation constant (Kd) = 2.1 × 10-10 M] toward thrombin. In addition, the thrombin clotting time delay caused by the GNS/Alg-NGs is 10-fold longer than that of natural polyphenolic compounds, such as quercetin, catechin, naringenin, caffeic acid, and ferulic acid. The thrombin- or kaolin-activated thromboelastography of whole-blood coagulation reveals that the GNS/Alg-NGs display a much stronger anticoagulant ability than that of untreated alginate and naturally sulfated polysaccharides (fucoidan). The GNS/Alg-NGs exhibit superior biocompatibility and anticoagulant activity, as observed with an in vivo rat model, revealing their potential as a blood thinner for the treatment of thrombotic disorders.

A Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, facultatively anaerobic, motile and spore-forming strain designated FJAT-44921T was isolated from red mud collected from Chiping County, Shandong Province, China. The 16S rRNA gene sequence result showed that strain FJAT-44921T shared a low sequence identity (96.6%) with the members of the genus Bacillus. Growth was observed at pH 8.0–10.0 (optimum pH 9.0), 10–40 °C (optimum 20–25 °C) with 0–8% (v/w %) NaCl (optimum 4–6 v/w %). FJAT-44921T consists of MK-7 as the isoprenoid quinone and meso-2,6-diaminopimelic acid as the cell-wall diamino acid. The predominant fatty acids were anteiso-C15:0, iso-C15:0, C16:0, and anteiso-C17:0. The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidyl glycerol, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine, unidentified phospholipid, and unidentified aminophospholipid. The genomic DNA G + C content was 37.3 mol%. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between FJAT-44921T and other closely related Bacillus members were lower than the recognized threshold values of ANI (95–96%) and dDDH (70%) recommended as the criterion for interspecies identity. The type strain is FJAT-44921T (=CCTCC AB 2016196T =DSM 104630T).

A series of mesoporous CoxM3-xAlOy (M Ni, Mn) catalysts have been obtained by calcination of layered double hydroxide (LDH) precursors prepared by the microwave method, the catalysts exhibited high activity for methane catalytic combustion. By changing the preparation method and type of metal salt introduced (Ni and Mn), it is effective for controlling the structure properties and reducibility of catalyst as well as the catalytic performance for the methane catalytic combustion. The Co2Ni1AlOy catalyst exhibited higher catalytic performance and the temperature required to achieve a methane conversion of 90% (T90) was about 473 °C, this temperature was 40 °C lower than that on the NiO-IWI/Co3AlOy sample. The enhanced catalytic activity was correlated with higher surface area, better redox property, higher ratio of surface Co3+/Co2+ species and surface absorbed oxygen and lattice oxygen (Oads/Olatt) derived from the synergistic effect over Co2Ni1AlOy catalyst. Therefore, the microwave method provided an effective path to develop the efficient combustion catalyst for higher performance.

Bimetallic catalysts NiCo/CNTs with distribution-controlled Ni and Co species were prepared by modified impregnation method with the assistance of dimethylbenzene and characterized by XRD, N2 adsor...

A hydrolysis-resistant polymer bearing new quasi-choline phosphate (quasi-CP) structures as side groups, poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl choline methylphosphonate) (PMCPm), was designed and synthesized...

Interfacial electron transfer within the electrode is crucial for various electrocatalytic reactions. Herein, we demonstrated that in-situ grown Cu2O on Cu foam as a scaffold to load active ingredients could lower the interfacial contact resistance and promote the electron transfer in oxygen evolution reaction. Meanwhile, the Cu2O/Cu (CCF) facilitates to load active components due to higher surface area resulting from its irregular scattered structure. As a demonstration, Ni–Fe doubles layered hydroxide (NiFe-LDH) coated carbon nanotube spheroidal particles (CNS@NiFe) was anchored by a drop-casting route to assemble CNS@NiFe/CCF hybrid electrodes with the CCF as scaffolds. The CNS@NiFe/CCF electrode afforded an ultralow overpotential of 248 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a small Tafel slope of 32.9 mV dec−1 with an excellent stability. Schematic illustration of CNS@NiFe/CCF architecture.

A series of CuCo2O4 composite spinels with an interconnected meso-macroporous nanosheet morphology were synthesized using the hydrothermal method and subsequent calcination treatment to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for benzophenone-4 (BP-4) degradation. As-prepared CuCo2O4 composite spinels, especially CuCo-H3 prepared by adding cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, showed superior reactivity for PMS activation. In a typical reaction, BP-4 (10.0 mg/L) was almost completely degraded in 15 min by the activation of PMS (200.0 mg/L) using CuCo-H3 (100.0 mg/L), with only 9.2 μg/L cobalt leaching detected. Even after being used six times, the performance was not influenced by the lower leaching of ions and surface-absorbed intermediates. The possible interface mechanism of PMS activation by CuCo-H3 was proposed, wherein a unique interconnected meso-macroporous nanosheet structure, strong interactions between copper and cobalt, and cycling of Co(II)/Co(III) and Cu(I)/Cu(II) effectively facilitated PMS activation to generate SO4•- and •OH, which contributed to BP-4 degradation. Furthermore, combined with intermediates detected by liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and density functional theory calculation results, the degradation pathway of BP-4 involving hydroxylation and C-C bond cleavage was proposed.

Surface functionalization tailors the interfacial properties without impacts on the mechanical strength, which is beneficial for industry and daily applications of various metallic materials. Herein, a two-step surface functionalization strategy, (1) catechol-mediated immobilization of clickable agent and (2) postfunctionalization based on thiol–ene click reaction, is achieved using a copolymer, namely poly[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethylundec-10-enoate]-co-(N-(3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl) methacrylamide) [P(MEUE-co-DPMAm)]. To reduce the potential side reactions of allylic double bonds in allyl methacrylate during the polymerization, the MEUE are designed and synthesized with better control over the polymer chain growth. The surface functionalization via the two-step method is demonstrated using various thiols, e.g., hydrophobic, hydrophilic, and polymeric thiols under room conditions. Additionally, the hydrophobic-thiol-functionalized anodic aluminum oxide is found to be a candidate for the oil/water separation with a separation efficiency of ∼99.2%. This surface modifier provides practical insights into the further design of functional materials.

Spherical core–shell structures have been widely investigated in recent years, and they can be used for various applications, such as drug delivery, biological labeling, and batteries. Although many methods have been developed to prepare core–shell structures, it is still a great challenge to fabricate core–shell structures in the nanoscale with well-controlled morphologies and sizes. In this work, we present a simple method to fabricate core–shell polymer nanospheres consisting of polystyrene (PS) cores and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) shells. The nanostructures are prepared by a solution-based template wetting method. After the nanopores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates are wetted sequentially by PS/PMMA blend solutions and water, the core–shell nanostructures can be formed. The formation process is related to the Rayleigh-instability-type transformation. Selective removal techniques are also used to confirm the morphologies of the core–shell nanostructures.

The degradation of triclosan (TCS) by MnFe2O4/PMS was investigated. The system was able to remove TCS in less than 20 min. Recycled MnFe2O4 was found to be more efficient than fresh MnFe2O4 for TCS...

In recent years, the primary greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide) has caused a series of severe issues, such as global warming, climate change, etc. Therefore, CCU, CCS and CCUS technologies have been employed to reduce CO₂ emissions. Through our developed "chemical vapor deposition integrated process (CVD-IP)" using carbon dioxide as the carbon source, CO₂ could be catalytically activated and converted to high-value carbon nanotubes. In this work, methane and carbon dioxide has been applied to synthesize CNTs respectively to compare the difference between conventional CH4 CVD and CO₂ CVD-IP technology using Ni-Mo bimetallic catalysts. In the conventional CH4 CVD technology, the carbon productivity and the thermal stability of CNTs could be improved by changing the Mo content of the catalyst, the better catalytic performance 4% Mo catalyst is selected as model catalyst to apply to CO₂ CVD-IP technology. Moreover, when the weak oxidant CO₂ is the only carbon source in the CVD-IP technology, the carbon yield is 22% and the carbon productivity is 1.98 g/gcat. TG curves and Raman spectroscopy display that the CNTs with better thermal stability and higher degree of graphitization are achieved. TEM confirms that the fewer wall numbers and defects of CNTs are obtained. These characterizations suggest that the high quality CNTs could be achieved by CO₂ CVD-IP technology.

Mesoporous CeMnOx composite oxides catalysts were prepared by surfactant-assisted co-precipitation method and used for the catalytic oxidation of toluene. The effect of different cerium precursors [Ce(NO3)3 and (NH4)2Ce(NO3)6] on catalyst structure, surface properties and toluene combustion activities of mesoporous CeMnOx catalysts were investigated. The Ce(III)MnOx catalyst prepared from Ce(NO3)3 precursor shows higher catalytic activity, with a 90% conversion temperature of 240 °C, which is better than the Ce(IV)MnOx catalyst derived from (NH4)2Ce(NO3)6] precursor. On the basis of characterizations, it reveals that abundant surface content of Mn4+, better redox behavior and larger concentration of surface active oxygen species are responsible for the excellent catalytic performance.

Rationally designing efficient, low-cost and stable catalysts toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is of significant importance to the development of renewable energy technologies. In this work, we have systematically investigated a series of potentially efficient and stable single late transition metal atom doped phthalocyanines (TM@Pcs, TM = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ir and Pt) as single-atom catalysts (SACs) for applications toward the OER and ORR through a computational screening approach. Our calculations indicate that TM atoms can tightly bind with Pc monolayers with high diffusion energy barriers to prevent the isolated atoms from clustering. The interaction strength between intermediates and TM@Pc governs the catalytic activities for the OER and ORR. Among all the considered TM@Pc catalysts, Ir@Pc and Rh@Pc were found to be efficient OER electrocatalysts with overpotentials ηOER of 0.41 and 0.44 V, respectively, and for the ORR, Rh@Pc exhibits the lowest overpotential ηORR of 0.44 V followed by Ir@Pc (0.55 V), suggesting that Rh@Pc is an efficient bifunctional catalyst for both the OER and ORR. Moreover, it is worth noting that the Rh@Pc catalyst can remain stable against dissolution under the pH = 0 condition. Ab initio molecular dynamic calculations suggest that Rh@Pc could remain stable at 300 K. Our findings highlight a novel family of two-dimensional (2D) materials as efficient and stable SACs and offer a new strategy for catalyst design.

Ionic liquids (ILs) show great promise to endow electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) with high energy density; however, their operation in practical deep-cold environments has been severely plagued by two major problems, namely (i) poor compatibility between the electrode material and the ILs and (ii) the ease of freezing of ILs. Here, we show that the combination of a nitrogen-doped mesopore-dominated hierarchical carbon (NMHC) electrode with plentiful ion-accessible adsorption sites (specific surface area and pore volume of 2637.4 m2 g−1 and 1.679 cm3 g−1) and anti-freezing EMIBF4–GBL electrolyte with high ion-conductivity (2.3 S cm−1 at −50 °C) can address this issue. Specifically, “H-bond breakage” in EMIBF4 ILs was proposed for the first time to understand the anti-freezing mechanism, as evidenced by Raman spectroscopy, 1H NMR spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations. As a result, the combination of NMHC electrode with EMIBF4–GBL electrolyte enabled an impressive specific energy of 61 W h kg−1 at −50 °C, which was 10.7 times larger than that of commercial YP50. This work showed excellent electrode–electrolyte synergy and provides a new understanding of IL-based electrolytes for low-temperature energy storage.

The dispersity and the neighboring degree of different sites play crucial roles in the catalytic performance of dual site catalysts. The solution of precursors was encapsulated into microdroplets by forming a microemulsion. The average diameter of microdroplets was about 45 nm. This guaranteed that the dosage of precursors was at the attogram level and only about a thousand precursor molecules were encapsulated in each microdroplet. An anti-solvent extraction method was applied to extract water from the microdroplets with acetonitrile. The precursors co-precipitated in the microdroplets due to the loss of water. The encapsulated precursors in the microdroplets co-precipitated together in nanoscale space, so the neighboring degree of the two precursors was improved significantly. The prepared catalyst was characterized by ICP-OES, BET, XRD, H2-TPR, TEM and XPS. Compared with the Cu–ZnO/Al2O3 (CZA) catalysts prepared by the conventional impregnation method, the CZA catalysts prepared by the proposed strategy had much stronger interaction and a better neighboring degree of the dual active sites. They also showed very good catalytic performance for the reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction. The CO2 conversion of the designed CZA catalysts was about 1–2 times higher than that of the CZA catalysts prepared by the conventional impregnation method at 0.1 MPa, 300–400 °C and a CO2/H2 mole ratio of 1.

Glycosylation is the most complex post-modification effect of proteins. It participates in many biological processes in the human body and is closely related to many disease states. Among them, N-linked glycosylation is the most contained glycosylation data. However, the current N-linked glycosylation prediction tool does not take into account the serious imbalance between positive and negative data. In this study, we used protein sequence and amino acid characteristics to construct an N-linked glycosylation prediction model called N-GlycoGo. Based on sequence, structure, and function, 11 heterogeneous features were encoded. Further, XGBoost was selected for modeling. Finally, independent testing of human and mouse prediction models showed that N-GlycoGo is superior to other tools with Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) values of 0.397 and 0.719, respectively, which is higher than other glycosylation site prediction tools. We have developed a fast and accurate prediction tool, N-GlycoGo, for N-linked glycosylation. N-GlycoGo is available at http://ncblab.nchu.edu.tw/n-glycogo/.

This research studied the spatiotemporal variation in methane in the middle to upper troposphere during the Wenchuan earthquake (12 May 2008) using AIRS retrieval data and discussed the methane anomaly mechanism. Three indices were proposed and used for analysis. Our results show that the methane concentration increased significantly in 2008, with an average increase of 5.12 × 10 - 8 , compared to the average increase of 1.18 × 10 - 8 in the previous 5 years. The absolute local index of change of the environment (ALICE) and differential value (diff) indices can be used to identify methane concentration anomalies. The two indices showed that the methane concentration distribution before and after the earthquake broke the distribution features of the background field. As the earthquake approached, areas of high methane concentration gradually converged towards the west side of the epicenter from both ends of the Longmenshan fault zone. Moreover, a large anomalous area was centered at the epicenter 8 d before the earthquake occurred, and a trend of strengthening, weakening and strengthening appeared over time. The gradient index showed that the vertical direction obviously increased before the main earthquake and that the value was positive. The gradient value is negative during coseismic or post-seismic events. The gradient index reflects the gas emission characteristics to some extent. We also determined that the methane release was connected with the deep crust–mantle stress state, as well as micro-fracture generation and expansion. However, due to the lack of any technical means to accurately identify the source and content of methane in the atmosphere before the earthquake, an in-depth discussion has not been conducted, and further studies on this issue may be needed.

An OH−-slow-release strategy was established to controllably tune the (α- and β-) phase of nickel cobalt binary hydroxide in the presence of ammonium chloride. Ammonium chloride is added to the ionic solution to regulate the pH of the solution and slow down the release of OH−, effectively regulating the phase, nanostructure, interlayer spacing, surface area, thickness, and the performance of binary Ni Co hydroxide. The ion-slow-release mechanism is conducive to the formation of α-phase with larger interlayer spacing and thinner flakes rather than β-phase. Attributed to the enlarged interlayer spacing, thinner nanosheets, and more exposed active sites, the resultant α-phase hydroxides (NCNS-5.2), displayed much lower over potential of 285 mV with respect to the dense-stacked β-phase hydroxides (362 mV) for OER at 10 mA/cm2. It also exhibited high specific capacitance of 1474.2 F/g, when tested at 0.5 A/g within a voltage range of 0–0.45 V vs. Hg/HgO. This composite was also stable for water oxidation reaction and supercapacitor. The proof-of-concept of using controlled-release agent may provide suggestive insights for the material innovation and a variety of applications.

The thermal deposition of lead iodide (PbI2) results in the changes in the contact surface of a poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly (styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) layer of solar cells (SCs). The changed contact surface of PEDOT:PSS layer after the thermal deposition of PbI2 remains stable after PbI2 is converted into perovskite and leaves the degraded perovskite/PEDOT:PSS interface. The degraded perovskite/pristine PEDOT:PSS interface leads to a low power conversion efficiency (η%) of SCs at 3.84%. The properties of the contact surface of the PEDOT:PSS layer during the thermal deposition of PbI2 can be retained by treating PEDOT:PSS with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and maintain the perovskite/PEDOT:PSS interface in good condition after PbI2 is converted. Perovskite SCs with DMSO-treated PEDOT:PSS substantially improves η% from 3.84% to 9.58%.

The environmentally friendly technology of high-frequency ultrasonic processes with the mostly concerned frequencies of 200 kHz and 400 kHz were applied and investigated systematically for BPA degradation in both pure water and river water mediated conditions. Investigations were carried out examining the effects of crucial parameters determining the system efficiency and BPA degradation mechanisms. Results proved that BPA was efficiently degraded via the oxidation by •OH. The 400 kHz ultrasonic process demonstrated much stronger capability in generating •OH and corresponding higher efficiency in BPA degradation based on electron spin resonance analysis. Increasing solution volume could increase the radical yields, and the temperature increase rate (dT/dt) showed linear relationship with kobs. In addition, the degradation of BPA with different concentrations was for the first time found controlled by different limiting factors, in which the degradation only with higher concentrations (≥0.02 mM) conformed to the Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism. More acidic condition and the bulk temperature of about 40 °C favored BPA degradation. The presence of NO3−, SO42−, and Cl− demonstrated minor influence while CO32−, HCO3− and NO2− showed significant inhibition, and the effects of different anions also depended on their concentrations. The degradation rate decreased 23% when river water was used as the matrix. Furthermore, both hydroxylation of the benzene ring and attack on the connecting carbon were found to be the reaction pathways, and the latter was proposed to be more dominant.

We have developed a one-pot synthesis of bio-carbon nanowires from the natural product sodium alginate at low temperature, without using any catalyst, for anticoagulation applications. Sodium alginate is carbonized and sulfated/sulfonated in situ by solid state heating of a mixture of sodium alginate and ammonium sulfite. By regulating the heating temperature and the ratio of ammonium sulfite to sodium alginate, we modulated the degree of sulfation/sulfonation and carbonization, as well as the morphology of the carbon nanomaterials. The core-shell sulfated/sulfonated bio-carbon nanowires (CNWsAlg@SOx) made by the reaction of a mixture of ammonium sulfite and sodium alginate with a mass ratio of 5 (ammonium sulfite to sodium alginate) at 165 °C for 3 h, exhibit strong inhibition of thrombin activity due to their ultrahigh binding affinity towards it (dissociation constant (Kd) = 8.7 × 10−11 M). The possible formation mechanism of the carbon nanowires has been proposed. The thrombin-clotting time delay caused by CNWsAlg@SOx is ∼ 170 times longer than that caused by sodium alginate. Hemolysis and cytotoxicity assays demonstrated the high biocompatibility of CNWsAlg@SOx. Furthermore, the thromboelastography of whole-blood coagulation and rat-tail bleeding assays further reveal that CNWsAlg@SOx have a much stronger anticoagulation activity than sodium alginate and naturally sulfated polysaccharides (e.g., fucoidan). Our results suggest that the low-temperature prepared, cost-effective, and highly biocompatible CNWsAlg@SOx show great potential as an efficient anticoagulant for the prevention and treatment of diseases associated with thrombosis.

Mercury ion (Hg2+) sensor based on bottom gate top contact organic thin film transistor (OTFT) was fabricated. The OTFT channel area was functionalized with pyrene that contain thiol group, which has strong binding affinity toward Hg2+ ion. The OTFT sensor exhibited a charge mobility of 0.28 cm2 V−1 s−1, a threshold voltage of −22.3 V and on-to-off ratio 103. The sensor shows high selectivity to Hg2+ ion over other two valence metal ions. OTFT sensor exhibited high sensitivity to Hg2+ ion, indicated by increasing of drain current after exposed to different concentration of Hg2+ ion ranging from 1 mM to 0.01 μM. Moreover, the OTFT sensor capability for practical application was also demonstrated by sensing the present of 25 μM of Hg2+ ion in tap, drinking and seawater samples.

Metal oxide carrier transporting layers have been investigated widely in organic/inorganic lead halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Tin oxide (SnO2) is a promising alternative to the titanium dioxide commonly used in the electron transporting layer (ETL), due to its tunable carrier concentration, high electron mobility, amenability to low-temperature annealing processing, and large energy bandgap. In this study, a facile method was developed for the preparation of a room-temperature-processed SnO2 electron transporting material that provided a high-quality ETL, leading to PSCs displaying high power conversion efficiency (PCE) and stability. A novel physical ball milling method was first employed to prepare chemically pure ground SnO2 nanoparticles (G-SnO2), and a sol–gel process was used to prepare a compact SnO2 (C-SnO2) layer. The effects of various types of ETLs (C-SnO2, G-SnO2, composite G-SnO2/C-SnO2) on the performance of the PSCs are investigated. The composite SnO2 nanostructure formed a robust ETL having efficient carrier transport properties; accordingly, carrier recombination between the ETL and mixed perovskite was inhibited. PSCs incorporating C-SnO2, G-SnO2, and G-SnO2/C-SnO2 as ETLs provided PCEs of 16.46, 17.92, and 21.09%, respectively. In addition to their high efficiency, the devices featuring the composite SnO2 (G-SnO2/C-SnO2) nanostructures possessed excellent long-term stability—they maintained 89% (with encapsulation) and 83% (without encapsulation) of their initial PCEs after 105 days (>2500 h) and 60 days (>1400 h), respectively, when stored under dry ambient air (20 ± 5 RH %).

Qing Dai (Naturalis Indigo) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) used as a topical agent in moderate psoriasis, targeting interleukin-17 (IL-17). In this study, it was prepared from the aerial parts of Strobilanthes cusia. Three undescribed indole alkaloid derivatives, indigodoles A-C, along with seven known compounds were isolated from this preparation of Qing Dai and their structures were elucidated from spectroscopic data, including NMR, MS, UV, IR, optical rotation, and CD. As well, most compounds were tested against IL-17. Indigodole C and tryptanthrin could significantly inhibit IL-17 production of Th17 cells. In addition, indigodole A and indirubin showed notably anti-IL-17 gene expression in dose-dependent effects without cytotoxicities toward Th17 and Jurkat cells, respectively. Overall, our studies indicate that the aforementioned indole alkaloids could contribute to anti-IL 17 properties of Qing Dai.

Semiconductor photocatalysis can be operated over a narrow pH range for wastewater treatment. In this study, a simulated solar-light-mediated bismuth tungstate (SSL/Bi2WO6) process is found to be effective for norfloxacin degradation over a narrow pH range. To broaden the operating pH range of the SSL/Bi2WO6 process, an NH4+ buffer system and an Fe3+ salt were introduced under extremely basic and acidic pH conditions, respectively. The NH4+ buffer system continuously supplied hydroxyl ions to generate ·OH radicals and prevented acidification of the solution, resulting in improved norfloxacin removal and mineralization removal under alkaline conditions. In contrast, the Fe3+ salt offered an additional homogeneous photo-sensitization pathway. The former treatment assisted in norfloxacin decay and the latter increased the collision frequency between the photo-generated hole and hydroxyl ions. Moreover, the effect of parameters such as pH and Fe3+ dosage was optimized.

Degradation of diphenamid (DPA) was examined by a novel process through sulfite activation by Fe impregnated N-doped TiO2 (FeN-TiO2) under visible LED (Vis LED). The FeN-TiO2 was synthesized using an impregnation method and characterized by various techniques. The mechanism of sulfite activation by FeN-TiO2 under Vis LED was proposed. The reaction mechanisms were further elucidated by investigating the XPS spectra of the catalysts before and after the reaction. Thirty intermediates were identified and twenty-four of them are newly reported. A new pathway was reported for the first time in the DPA studies through the rupture of benzene ring linkage. A higher mineralization degree was achieved using the FeN-TiO2/sulfite/Vis LED process, which is not in accordance with previous reports on sulfite-based processes. The absence of sulfate adducts could provide a rational explanation of the higher mineralization degree during DPA degradation. Based on reusability test, the DPA degradation efficiency increased after successive usage of the catalyst. After the complete degradation of DPA, the leached Fe-ions were found to be negligible and sulfite was completely depleted. Considering several factors such as the cheap source of sulfite (an air pollutant waste from flue-gas desulfurization process), low cost of Fe, negligible leaching of Fe-ions, and high energy efficiency of Vis LED light, the FeN-TiO2/sulfite/Vis LED process could be a practical and green technology for the removal of wastewater contaminants.

It is of fundamental significance to rationally design the potent toluene-oxidation nanocatalysts for alleviating the release of toluene, one hazardous volatile organic compound, from industrial processes, oil products and fitments materials. The manganese oxide has been developed as the extremely robust combustion materials for a wide spectra of application involving methane combustion, CO oxidation and so forth, but still has been haunted with the poor behavior for toluene combustion. Herein, we successfully demonstrate a one-step scenario wherein the well-structured LaMnO3 perovskites are in situ assembled over δ-MnO2 for the first time. Various characterizations unravel that the LaMnO3 perovskites interact with δ-MnO2 to result in good catalytic toluene combustion behavior at the Mn/La ratio of 15. Boosted active phase-carrier interplays, improved redox abilities, and tuned Mn4+/Mn3+ couples ultimately result in the decent toluene combustion property with the full toluene oxidation at 275 °C and T90 at 258 °C. The nanostructured scalable MnO2-based materials are promising catalyts that can be extended to degrade alkane, alcohols, aldehydes and benzene series.

In this study, a magnetically separable nanoscale CuFe2O4 synthesized by co-precipitation-calcination method was employed as a heterogeneous catalyst to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the generation of powerful oxidizing sulfate radical (SO4 −). The degradation of the fluoroquinolone antibiotics norfloxacin (NOR) in aqueous solution by CuFe2O4/PMS system was examined. The effect of experimental parameters, including initial pH, oxidant and NOR concentrations, catalyst dose, and water matrices on NOR removal was systematically investigated. The evolution of inorganic ions (e.g., NO3−, F−, and NH4+) and low molecular weight organic acids (e.g., formic acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, and oxalic acid) during NOR degradation was monitored by using ion chromatography. Experimental results showed that NOR degradation was in accordance with the pseudo first-order reaction kinetics. At pH = 7, more than 90% of 25 μM NOR was removed in 120 min by using 200 mg L−1 CuFe2O4 to activate 0.5 mM PMS. Free radical quenching experiments revealed the dominant role of SO4 − in oxidizing NOR in CuFe2O4/PMS system. TOC test indicated that >64% of initial carbon content was removed in 12 h; meanwhile an increasing buildup of carboxylic acids was observed and contributed to 32.9% of initial carbon content in 12 h, suggesting that they were the predominant end products before completely mineralization. The XRD profile of the catalyst before and after the reaction was characterized. It was found that the structure and properties of the catalyst kept stable, and the recovered catalyst exhibited good performance during the reusability test. The result therefore suggested that CuFe2O4/PMS is a promising alternative as a possible application for treatment of water polluted by norfloxacin antibiotics.

A series of CuxCoy catalysts were successfully synthesized by deposition–precipitation with urea method and their catalytic performance was investigated for methanol decomposition to hydrogen. These as-prepared samples were characterized by ICP-OES, XRD, SEM, BET, H2-TPR and XPS. The characterization results indicate that the bimetallic catalysts exhibit better dispersion and reducibility as compared with the monometallic catalysts, and the strong interaction between copper and cobalt can promote the formation of Cu+. Among the fabricated materials, the Cu0.5Co0.5 presents the best catalytic activity and H2 selectivity. Moreover, its catalytic performance is higher than the commercial catalyst at the same test conditions. The catalytic performance of bimetallic CuxCoy catalytic is better than that of monometallic catalysts. Meanwhile, the optimized catalyst prepared exhibits excellent catalytic activity and selectivity compared with the commercial catalysts at the same reaction conditions, which is due to the coexist of Cu+ and Cu2+ after reduction.

The interaction between magnetite and aqueous Fe(II) profoundly impacts the mineral recrystallization, trace-metal sequestration, and contaminant reduction. The iron ions in natural magnetite are extensively substituted by other cations. It is still unclear whether the substitution with thermodynamically favorable redox repairs (e.g., Co2+/Co3+) plays a vital role in the reducing capability of the coupled system. Herein, a series of Co-substituted magnetite samples (Fe3−xCoxO4, 0.00 ≤ x ≤ 1.00) were synthesized and tested for the reductive removal of Cr(VI) in the presence of Fe(II). Fe3−xCoxO4 had a spinel structure with the preferential occupancy of Co2+ on octahedral sites. No visible variation in the BET surface area was observed, whereas the surface site density increased gradually with Co substitution. Cr(VI) was found first adsorbed on the Fe3−xCoxO4 surface and then reduced to Cr(III) by the structural Fe2+ and the absorbed Fe(II), accompanied by the oxidation of bulk Fe2+ and surface Fe(II) in Fe3−xCoxO4 without phase transformation. The Cr(III) was precipitated on the Fe3−xCoxO4 surface with Fe(III), or substituted octahedral Fe in Fe3−xCoxO4. Both the reaction kinetics and the electron transfer efficiency revealed that Co substitution significantly improved the reactivity of Fe3−xCoxO4/Fe(II) towards Cr(VI) reduction. This was ascribed to the presence of the redox pairs Co2+/Co3+ and Fe2+/Fe3+ accelerating electron transfer from the Fe3−xCoxO4 interface to Cr(VI).

We present a high-energy wet-milling grinding method to prepare the NiO NPs at a room temperature and a low-temperature solution-processing method for the intercalation of Cs2CO3 into NiO, resulting in bipolar charge-carrier extraction capability for inverted (p–i–n) and conventional planar (n–i–p) PSCs. In comparison with the corresponding device featuring an HTL of NiO alone, the Cs2CO3-intercalated NiO layer exhibited enhanced electron extraction without sacrificing its hole extraction capability. This new material for bipolar charge-carrier extraction has the potential to serve as an inexpensive, scalable, and environmentally stable interconnection layer for emerging flexible tandem photovoltaic devices.

The organic solar cells (OSCs) have contributed a significant role in photovoltaics by improving its power conversion efficiency (PCE). We have introduced a facile method for transferring thin films to achieve polymer solar cells with stacked structures to enhance the bilayer and ternary solar cells' efficiency. By controlling the swelling/de-swelling properties of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) via solvent treatment, we formed uniform organic films upon the PDMS surface and then transferred them to target substrates.This residue-free and place-lift-off transferring method appear to have great promise in increasing the efficiency of multilayer stacked thin-film OSCs.

Polymer carbon nitride (CN) has unique structure and electronic properties, making it attractive in photocatalysis fields. However, the photocatalytic efficiency of the pristine CN photocatalyst is still unsatisfactory. In this regard, the introduction of vacancy defects can effectively tune photoelectric properties of CN photocatalyst through tailoring the electronic structure and bandgap engineering. In this review, the effect of vacancy defects on CN is reviewed from the aspects of light absorption, charge separation and surface photoreactivity of CN. Meanwhile, the current progress in the design of vacancy defects with the classified carbon vacancies (CVs), nitrogen vacancies (NVs), amino and cyano groups on CN to boost the photocatalytic performance is summarized. Furthermore, various characterization methods have been summarized and highlighted, including microscopic characterization (SEM, TEM, AFM, HAADF-STEM), spectroscopic characterization (XRD, FTIR, XAFS, XANES, EPR, PAS, XPS, raman spectroscopy, solid-state NMR spectroscopy), elemental analysis, and computational characterization. Finally, the future opportunities and challenges of CN photocatalysts designed with vacancies and defects are proposed to highlight the development direction of this research field.

Nowadays, the power conversion efficiency of organometallic mixed halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is beyond 25%. To fabricate highly efficient and stable PSCs, the performance of metal oxide charge transport layers (CTLs) is one of the key factors. The CTLs are employed in PSCs to separate the electrons and holes generated in the perovskite active layer, suppressing the charge recombination rate so that the charge collection efficiency can be increased at their respective electrodes. In general, engineering of metal oxide electron transport layers (ETLs) is found to be dominated in the research community to boost the performance of PSCs due to the resilient features of ETLs such as excellent electronic properties, high resistance to thermal temperature and moisture, ensuring good device stability as well as their high versatility in material preparation. The metal oxide hole transport layers in PSCs are recently intensively studied. The performance of PSCs is found to be very promising by using optimized hole transport materials. This review concisely discusses the evolution of some prevalent metal oxide charge transport materials (CTMs) including TiO2, SnO2, and NiOx, which are able to yield high-performance PSCs. The article begins with introducing the development trend of PSCs using different types of CTLs, pointing out the important criteria for metal oxides being effective CTLs, and then a variety of preparation methods for CTLs as employed by the community for high-performance PSCs are discussed. Finally, the challenges and prospects for future research direction toward scalable metal oxide CTM-based PSCs are delineated.

We demonstrate the hybrid integration of a lithium niobate microring resonator with a silicon nitride waveguide in the vertical configuration to achieve efficient light coupling. The microring resonator is fabricated on a lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) substrate using photolithography assisted chemo-mechanical etching (PLACE). A fused silica cladding layer is deposited on the LNOI ring resonator. The silicon nitride waveguide is further produced on the fused silica cladding layer by first fabricating a trench in the fused silica while using focused ion beam (FIB) etching for facilitating the evanescent coupling, followed by the formation of the silicon nitride waveguide on the bottom of the trench. The FIB etching ensures the required high positioning accuracy between the waveguide and ring resonator. We achieve Q-factors as high as 1.4 × 107 with the vertically integrated device.

The exonuclease activity of Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1) is responsible for processing matched/mismatched terminus in various DNA repair pathways and for removing nucleoside analogs associated with drug resistance. To fill in the gap of structural basis for exonucleolytic cleavage, we determine the APE1-dsDNA complex structures displaying end-binding. As an exonuclease, APE1 does not show base preference but can distinguish dsDNAs with different structural features. Integration with assaying enzyme activity and binding affinity for a variety of substrates reveals for the first time that both endonucleolytic and exonucleolytic cleavage can be understood by an induced space-filling model. Binding dsDNA induces RM (Arg176 and Met269) bridge that defines a long and narrow product pocket for exquisite machinery of substrate selection. Our study paves the way to comprehend end-processing of dsDNA in the cell and the drug resistance relating to APE1., The exonuclease Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1) is important for processing matched/mismatched terminus during DNA repair. Here the authors resolve the X-ray crystallography structures of APE1 with varied dsDNAs substrates to assay the nuclease activity.