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In order to solve the problem of environmental health hazards caused by phthalate esters, a series of pure Bi2O2CO3 and light (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm and Eu) and heavy (Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu) rare earth-doped Bi2O2CO3 samples were prepared by hydrothermal method. The crystalline phase composition and physical structure of the samples calcined at 300 °C were studied, and we found that the rare earth ion doping promoted the transformation of Bi2O2CO3 to β-Bi2O3 crystalline phase, thus obtaining a mixed crystal phase photocatalyst constituted by rare earth-ion-doped Bi2O2CO3/β-Bi2O3. The Bi2O3/Bi2O2CO3 heterostructure had a lower band gap and more efficient charge transfer. The fabricated samples were applied to the photocatalytic degradation of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) under a 300 W tungsten lamp, and it was found that the rare earth ion doping enhanced the photocatalytic degradation activity of DMP, in which the heavy rare earth of Er-doped sample reached 78% degradation for DMP at 150 min of light illumination. In addition, the doping of rare earths resulted in a larger specific surface area and a stronger absorption of visible light. At the same time, the formation of Bi2O2CO3/β-Bi2O3 heterogeneous junction enhanced the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perovskite material has received much attention due to its excellent photoelectric properties. However, the toxicity of Pb has always affected the wide application of perovskite materials. Herein, we proposed to replace Pb ions with the same divalent ions Ba and dope them into the CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocrystals' (PNCs) lattice to reduce the content of Pb elements. In this work, we have successfully prepared a series of CsPb1−xBaxBr3 PNCs (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4) and CsPbBr3 PNCs (Ba-doped concentration = x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.20); the best among them were CsPb0.7Ba0.3Br3 PNCs and CsPbBr3 (Ba = 0.1) PNCs, respectively. Compared with CsPbBr3 PNCs, the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of CsPb0.7Ba0.3Br3 PNCs and CsPbBr3 (Ba = 0.1) PNCs has been improved to different degrees. It was worth mentioning that after the addition of a Ba element, the photoluminescent quantum yield (PLQY) of CsPb0.7Ba0.3Br3 PNCs and CsPbBr3 (Ba = 0.1) PNCs was increased to 81% and 65%, respectively. It was due to the high PLQY of CsPb0.7Ba0.3Br3 PNCs that the selected CIE color coordinate monochromatic light encompassed 119.0% of NTSC color gamut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwave-assisted catalytic oxidation technology has become an effective technology for rapid removal of organic pollutants in wastewater. In this research, the removal of methyl orange (MO) from aqueous solution by CuFe2O4 loaded on carbon nanotubes (CuFe2O4/CNTs) under microwave irradiation was studied. The effects of different loadings (1:2, 1:4, 1:8) of CuFe2O4 on the dielectric loss, magnetic loss, dielectric loss factor, magnetic loss factor, and reflection loss of composite materials were studied. The results showed that the microwave adsorption performance was improved by loading CuFe2O4 on CNTs. These different composites were further characterized by SEM, FTIR, and XRD techniques. In addition, this article also studied the effects of different microwave irradiation time, pH, and ionic factors on the degradation of MO. In particular, the mechanism of MO degradation by composite materials under different pH conditions was also studied in detail. The results showed that the removal rate reaches 97% with 5 min under the best conditions, and the composite material had good anti-interference performance. This study may provide a new option to degrade organic dye in wastewater treating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal-free black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets have emerged as a promising photocatalyst. Herein, early transition-metal carbide and nitride (MXene) decorated BP (Ti3C2Tx/TiO2–BP) nanohybrids were constructed by a hydrothermal method, in which TiO2 was produced in the hydrothermal process. The optimized Ti3C2Tx/TiO2–BP nanohybrids exhibited a higher visible-light photodegradation efficiency of rhodamine B (99.09%) and tetracycline hydrochloride (92.70%) pollutants than that of pristine BP (12.75% and 9.35%, respectively). Diverse characterization techniques and density functional theory calculations have revealed that such enhanced photocatalytic performance was due to the synergistic effect of BP and Ti3C2Tx/TiO2, which could markedly improve the stability of BP, increase visible light absorption, prolong the photoexcited electron lifetime, accelerate the photoinduced electron transfer and hinder the electron–hole (e−–h+) pair recombination. Meanwhile, the mechanism analysis indicated that ˙O2− radicals played a leading role in the photocatalytic process. This study will motivate great interest in using 2D MXenes as co-catalysts to enhance the activity of BP for its applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sm3+/Tm3+ co-doped BiVO 4 micro-squares were synthesized. • Sm3+/Tm3+ co-doping reduced the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes. • Sm3+/Tm3+ co-doping provides additional light absorption. • Sm3+/Tm3+ co-doping brings about the remarkable photocatalytic activity for CO and CH 4 production. Solar-driven photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 to fuels and chemicals with added value has attracted intense attention. Here, the Sm3+/Tm3+ co-doped BiVO 4 micro-squares were synthesized by hydrothermal method. The prepared samples were characterized by some physicochemical methods such as XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TEM, XPS, UV–Vis DRS, EPR, N 2 physisorption -desorption and electrochemical analysis. The CO 2 reduction ability of the catalysts with different rare earth content was evaluated under xenon lamp irradiation. We found that BiVO 4 photocatalyst co-doped with 10%Sm and 10%Tm (mole percent) showed the remarkable photocatalytic activity for CO and CH 4 production. The CO production rate over 10%Sm/10%Tm/BiVO 4 was around 5 times higher than that of pure BiVO 4 and single rare earth doped BiVO 4. The enhanced activity can be attributed that the Sm3+/Tm3+ co-doping reduced the recombination rate of photogenerated electrons and holes, provides additional light absorption and more active sites for CO 2 reduction. Sm3+/Tm3+ co-doping can regulate the energy band structure and carrier separation of BiVO 4 which effectively boosts the CO photocatalytic reduction for CO and CH 4 production. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pancreatic follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS) is an exceptionally rare and low-to-moderate malignancy, with only seven reported cases to date. Clinical diagnosis of FDCS is challenging due to the lack of distinct biological and radiographic features. Case presentation: A 67-year-old woman presented to the hospital with a 4-day history of severe abdominal pain. Imaging studies (CT and MRI) revealed a large cystic mass located at the tail of the pancreas, which was suspected to be myeloid sarcoma (MS) based on EUS and CT-guided pancreatic puncture. Postoperative pathology and immunohistochemistry confirmed the diagnosis of pancreatic FDCS. After the diagnosis was confirmed, the patient received postoperative chemotherapy with the CHOP regimen. At 11 months of follow-up, there was no evidence of recurrence. Seven published cases have been reviewed to comprehensively summarize the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment options of FDCS. Conclusion: While imaging can be useful in detecting pancreatic FDCS, it should be interpreted with caution as it can be challenging to differentiate from other pancreatic tumors. Pathology and immunohistochemistry are considered the gold standard for diagnosis, with CD21, CD23, and CD35 being specific tumor cell markers. However, preoperative diagnosis of pancreatic FDCS remains difficult, and the pancreatic puncture may further increase the risk of misdiagnosis. The disease is highly prone to recurrence and metastasis, and surgery is the preferred method for both diagnosis and treatment of localized disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) are considered to be efficient and environmentally friendly for handling persistent organic pollutants issues. The activation of persulfate (PS) by biochar (BC) materials derived from waste biomass is the current research hotspot in SR-AOPs. Herein, we propose bimetal modified peanut hull-derived biochar (BC-Fe-1-Zn) catalysts to activate PS to degrade tetracycline (TC) with a removal efficiency of 90% in 120 min. The physicochemical properties and reaction mechanisms are well studied through the effective combination of various characterization techniques and experiments. SO 4 •– , •OH and electron transfer are all involved in the degradation of TC and SO 4 •– is the main reactive oxygen species (ROSs). The Fe and Zn oxides and the oxygen-containing functional groups on the catalyst surface are considered as the active sites for the reaction. Moreover, the influences of different factors (such as pH, catalyst dosage, PS dosage and coexisting ions) on the TC remove efficiency are studied. Simultaneously, the TC degradation products and its reasonable degradation paths are analyzed. This work provides new ideas for the rational design of biochar-supported bimetallic catalysts and revealed that using BC-Fe-1-Zn in AOPs technology to environmental remediation is a promising approach. [Display omitted] • Biochar is prepared from peanut hull and applied for activating PDS. • Transition metals Fe and Zn are successfully loaded on biochar to promote electron transfer. • The synthesized catalyst owns large specific surface area, abundant functional groups. • Sulfate radicals and hydroxyl radicals contributed to the degradation of TC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphology adjustment is a feasible method to change the physicochemical properties of photocatalysts. The issue that excessively thick tube wall of tubular g-C 3 N 4 is not conducive to the electron migration from inside to the surface thus inhibiting the separation of photogenerated carriers has always been ignored. Potassium ions were used to regulate the structure of the tubular supramolecular precursor by breaking hydrogen bonds, thereby promoting the synthesis of delaminated laminar tubular g-C 3 N 4 (K-CN), which not only shortened the transfer distance of photogenerated electrons but also provided abundant reaction active sites. Experiments and DFT calculations were combined to reveal the details of the physicochemical properties of K-CN. The photocatalytic capacity of K-CN for tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) degradation and H 2 O 2 generation were 83% and 133 μM, respectively. This work not only synthesized a novel delaminated tubular g-C 3 N 4 but also provided a strategy and inspiration for structure and performance optimization for tubular g-C 3 N 4. [Display omitted] • Supramolecular self-assembly produced tubular g-C 3 N 4 precursors. • Potassium ions was influenced on the supramolecular self-assembly. • Destruction of the hydrogen bond induced delamination of tubular g-C 3 N 4. • Experiment and DFT calculation were combined to reveal the properties of K-CN. • Delamination promoted K-CN showed strong photocatalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low average speed of hybrid city buses leads to the overuse of power batteries, which cannot maintain good fuel economy in the whole driving conditions. A control strategy was proposed based on the vehicle speed and battery state of charge (SOC) rules. The control strategy model was designed in MATLAB/Simulink software. Then the control strategy was imported into the CRUISE software to carry out co-simulation with the built vehicle power system model. The results show that the fuel economy of hybrid power control strategy based on SOC and speed planning is better than that based on rules. The fuel economy of whole vehicle is increased by 2.7%. The balance of SOC is less than 5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused concerns globally. To reduce the rapid transmission of the virus, strict city lockdown measures were conducted in different regions. China is the country that takes the earliest home-based quarantine for people. Although normal industrial and social activities were suspended, the spread of virus was efficiently controlled. Simultaneously, another merit of the city lockdown measure was noticed, which is the improvement of the air quality. Contamination levels of multiple atmospheric pollutants were decreased. However, in this work, 24 and 14 air fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) samples were continuously collected before and during COVID-19 city lockdown in Linfen (a typical heavy industrial city in China), and intriguingly, the unreduced concentration was found for environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) in PM 2.5 after normal life suspension. The primary non-stopped coal combustion source and secondary Cu-related atmospheric reaction may have impacts on this phenomenon. The cigarette-based assessment model also indicated possible exposure risks of PM 2.5 -bound EPFRs during lockdown of Linfen. This study revealed not all the contaminants in the atmosphere had an apparent concentration decrease during city lockdown, suggesting the pollutants with complicated sources and formation mechanisms, like EPFRs in PM 2.5 , still should not be ignored. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Mn and N co-doped biochar (Mn-N-TS) was prepared as an effective catalyst to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for ciprofloxacin (CIP) degradation. As opposed to Mn-TS and N-TS, Mn-N-TS had more active sites containing N and Mn, as well as a greater specific surface area (923.733 m2 g−1). The Mn-N-TS exhibited excellent PMS activation ability. In the Mn-N-TS/PMS system, the CIP removal efficiency was 91.9% in 120 min. Mn and N co-doping could accelerate electron transfer between CIP and PMS molecules. Simultaneously, defect sites, graphitic N, pyridinic N, C═O groups, and Mn(II)/Mn(III)/Mn(IV) redox cycles acted as active sites to activate PMS and generate free radicals (OH, SO 4 − and 1O 2). Furthermore, the Mn-N-TS/PMS system could effectively degrade CIP in a wide pH range, background substances, and actual water. Finally, a probable mechanism of PMS activation by Mn-N-TS was proposed. In conclusion, this work gave a novel direction for the rational design of Mn and N co-doped biochar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]