Search

BiOCl is a good photocatalyst, but the easy recombination of photo generated electron-hole pairs limits its application in the field of photocatalysis. Cd(OH)2/BiOCl composite materials were prepared by one-step hydrothermal method, and its photocatalytic performance was investigated with Rhodamine B(RhB) as the degradation target. The composite materials were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, XPS, PL, ESR, UV-Vis DRS and other methods. It was found that the composite materials of Cd(OH)2/BiOCl exhibited a sheet-like spherical flower-like structure, and the introduction of Cd(OH)2 generated new energy levels in the composite material, with enhanced charge separation and transport capabilities, and significantly suppressed the recombination of photo generated electron-hole pairs, which improved the photocatalytic performance of the composite materials. Under 300 W xenon lamp irradiation, the removal rate of RhB by Cd(OH)2/BiOCl composite materials increased by 15.36% compared to pure BiOCl. After 5 cycles of utilization, the removal rate of RhB by the composite materials could still be maintained at 70%. The free radical scavenging experiment showed that the activity order of free radicals was O2·->h+>·OH, with O2·- being the main active substance.

Manipulating the thermal emission in the infrared (IR) range significantly impacts both fundamental scientific research and various technological applications, including IR thermal camouflage, information encryption, and radiative cooling. While prior research has put forth numerous materials and structures for these objectives, the significant challenge lies in attaining spatially resolved and dynamically multilevel control over their thermal emissions. In this study, a one-step ultrafast laser writing technique is experimentally demonstrated to achieve position-selective control over thermal emission based on the phase-change material Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST). Ultrafast laser writing technique enables direct fabrication and manipulation of laser-induced crystalline micro/nano-structures on GST films. Thermal emission can be precisely controlled by adjusting the pulse energy of the ultrafast laser, achieving a high thermal emissivity modulation precision of 0.0014. By controlling thermal emission, the ultrafast laser writing technique enables multilevel patterned processing. This provides a promising approach for multilevel IR thermal camouflage, which is demonstrated with emissivity-modulated GST emitters. Remarkably, ultrafast laser-induced crystalline micro/nano-structures display geometric grating features, resulting in a diffraction-based structural color effect. This study demonstrates the effective use of laser-printed patterns for storing information in both visible and infrared spectrum.

Direct far-field visualization and characterization of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are of great importance for fundamental studies and technological applications. To probe the evanescently confined plasmon fields, one usually requires advanced near-field techniques, which is typically not applicable for real-time, high-throughput detecting or mapping of SPPs in complicated environments. Here, we report the utilization of rare-earth-doped nanoparticles to quantitatively upconvert invisible, evanescently confined SPPs into visible photoluminescence emissions for direct far-field visualization of SPPs in a complicated environment. The observed interference fringes between the SPPs and the coherent incident light at the metal surface provide a quantitative measurement of the SPP wavelength and the SPP propagating length and the local dielectric environments. It thus creates a new signaling pathway to sensitively transduce the local dielectric environment change into interference periodicity variation, enabling a new design of directly measurable, spectrometer-free optical rulers for rapid, ultrasensitive label-free detection of various biomolecules, including streptavidin and prostate-specific antigen, down to the femtomolar level.

Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), an RNA binding protein (RBP), is aberrantly hyper‐expressed in human tumors and plays an essential role in tumor invasion, metastasis and immune evasion. However, there is no small‐molecule inhibitor for FMRP so far. In this study, we developed the first FMRP‐targeting degrader based on PROteolysis TArgeting Chimera (PROTAC) technology and constructed a heterobifunctional PROTAC through linking a FMRP‐targeting G‐quadruplex RNA (sc1) to a von Hippel‐Lindau (VHL)‐targeting ligand peptide (named as sc1‐VHLL). Sc1‐VHLL specifically degraded endogenous FMRP via ubiquitination pathway in both mouse and human cancer cells. The FMRP degradation significantly changed the secretion pattern of cancer cells, resulting in higher expression of pro‐inflammatory cytokine and smaller amounts of immunomodulatory contents. Furthermore, sc1‐VHLL, when encapsulated into ionizable liposome nanoparticles (LNP), efficiently targeted tumor site and degraded FMRP in cancer cells. In CT26 tumor‐bearing mouse model, FMRP degradation within tumors substantially promoted the infiltration of lymphocytes and CD8 T cells and reduced the proportion of Treg cells, reshaping the proinflammatory tumor microenvironment and accordingly transforming cold tumor into hot tumor. When combined with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy, sc1‐VHLL based treatment remarkably inhibited the tumor growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The g-C3N5, characterized by its two-dimensional layered structure, substantial surface area, and narrow bandgap, has found extensive application in photocatalysis. This study involves the incorporation of cerium-doped g-C3N5 with ZnO to form a S-scheme photocatalyst, significantly enhancing the photocatalytic activity of the material. The ZnO/Ce-g-C3N5 composite photocatalyst shows a degradation efficiency for methylene blue (MB) that is 5.0 times higher than that of g-C3N5 and 2.9 times higher than that of ZnO. This superior performance is attributed to the synergistic effect of Ce doping and S-type heterojunction formation, which markedly enhances the separation of photo-induced electron-hole pairs and broadens the light response range, while also maintaining the high redox capacity of the S-scheme ZnO/Ce-g-C3N5 system. The fabrication of this novel photocatalyst holds promising prospects for the treatment of organic pollutants in water. Highlights: A novel S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst, ZN/Ce–CN, featured a unique nanoparticle/flake coupling configuration. The degradation efficiency of ZN/Ce–CN for MB was 2.9 and 5.0 times greater than that of ZnO and g-C3N5, respectively. Holes (h+) and hydroxyl radicals (•OH) are the predominant reactive species in the photocatalytic degradation process. Ce doping, acting as trapping centers for photogenerated electrons, enhances photo-induce e-/h+ pairs separation and broadens the light response range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high exploration and development production capacity of the Jiyang Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, China in the early stage confirms the huge exploration and development potential of shale oil in the study area. Due to the complexity of the depositional mechanism in the study area, the distribution law of fine-grained sedimentary rocks is not well understood, which restricts further exploration breakthroughs. This paper comprehensively observes rock cores and thin sections, combines mineral components, Rock-Eval pyrolysis, rock-cutting logging and logging data to classify lithofacies, and clarifies the distribution law of various lithofacies. The research results show that, according to lithological characteristics, various lithofacies origins are classified into three categories: terrigenous, mixed, and endogenous sources, and six lithofacies types are distinguished: terrigenous low-organic-matter massive siltstone (LF1), terrigenous low-organic-matter massive mudstone (LF2), mixed-source medium-organic-matter massive mudstone (LF3), mixed-source medium-to-high-organic matter laminated-massive mudstone (LF4), mixed-source medium-to-high-organic-matter laminated mudstone (LF5), and endogenous-sourced medium-to-high-organic matter laminated limestone (LF6). The distribution of lithofacies in plane is symmetrical in the east–west direction and is characterized by a banded distribution; the distribution in profile shows a stable depositional process and a continuous depositional sequence. The various lithofacies depositional models have been summarized; the terrigenous input from the northern steep-slope zone has influenced the hydrodynamic conditions of the lake basin, significantly affecting the lithofacies depositional variations from the steep-slope zone to the deep-sag area. The geological evaluation of each lithofacies has been conducted; LF1 + LF4 + LF5 are classified as Class I—target reservoirs for shale oil development, while LF3 + LF6 are considered Class II—favorable reservoirs. The result of the study provide a reference for the classification of fine-grained sedimentary-rock facies and distribution characteristics, and the evaluation of shale-oil-reservoir sweet spots in graben lake basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particulate matter is a component of ambient air pollution that has been linked to millions of annual premature deaths globally.sup.1-3. Assessments of the chronic and acute effects of particulate matter on human health tend to be based on mass concentration, with particle size and composition also thought to play a part.sup.4. Oxidative potential has been suggested to be one of the many possible drivers of the acute health effects of particulate matter, but the link remains uncertain.sup.5-8. Studies investigating the particulate-matter components that manifest an oxidative activity have yielded conflicting results.sup.7. In consequence, there is still much to be learned about the sources of particulate matter that may control the oxidative potential concentration.sup.7. Here we use field observations and air-quality modelling to quantify the major primary and secondary sources of particulate matter and of oxidative potential in Europe. We find that secondary inorganic components, crustal material and secondary biogenic organic aerosols control the mass concentration of particulate matter. By contrast, oxidative potential concentration is associated mostly with anthropogenic sources, in particular with fine-mode secondary organic aerosols largely from residential biomass burning and coarse-mode metals from vehicular non-exhaust emissions. Our results suggest that mitigation strategies aimed at reducing the mass concentrations of particulate matter alone may not reduce the oxidative potential concentration. If the oxidative potential can be linked to major health impacts, it may be more effective to control specific sources of particulate matter rather than overall particulate mass. Observations and air-quality modelling reveal that the sources of particulate matter and oxidative potential in Europe are different, implying that reducing mass concentrations of particulate matter alone may not reduce oxidative potential., Author(s): Kaspar R. Daellenbach [sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.3] , Gaëlle Uzu [sup.4] , Jianhui Jiang [sup.1] , Laure-Estelle Cassagnes [sup.1] , Zaira Leni [sup.5] , Athanasia Vlachou [sup.1] , Giulia Stefenelli [...]