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Herein, a ternary Bi 2 O 3 –CuO–CuBi 2 O 4 photocatalyst was synthesized by the solvothermal deposition via the adjustment of Cu/Bi concentration ratio. The Bi 2 O 3 –CuO (5%) with the 5% of Cu/Bi concentration ratio exhibited dramatically high solar/visible light-driven photocatalytic activity, and the photocatalytic rate was 2.69/2.06 and 2.39/1.75 folds of pure Bi 2 O 3 photocatalysts toward rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) photodegradation, which was ascribed to the high solar absorption and low interface resistance. In addition, the •O 2 − and •OH radicals were defected to be the active species for the dye degradation, and then the Z-scheme heterojunction scheme was proposed to explain the photocatalytic result. The prepared sample photoelectrode also displayed the attractive photoelectric conversion capacity. The investigation indeed confirms that the novel ternary Bi 2 O 3 –CuO–CuBi 2 O 4 photocatalysts exhibit wide application prospect in wastewater remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a typical waste, used cigarette filters (UCFs) are difficult to biodegrade and harmful to the environment. The direct carbon solid oxide fuel cell (DC-SOFC) is an energy conversion device that can utilize carbon directly, including biochar, as fuel. We report a superior DC-SOFC powered by Fe-loaded UCF biochar in this paper. The microstructure and composition are characterized, indicating that the UCF biochar is micron-sized and contains metal elements such as K and Ca that are beneficial to the performance of DC-SOFC. The peak power density of the cell fueled by pure UCF biochar is 308 mW cm−2 and increases to 341 mW cm−2 after loading Fe as the catalyst, which is comparable to that of the cell with Fe-loaded activated carbon (368 mW cm−2). It proves the feasibility of the UCF biochar as fuel for DC-SOFCs, providing a theoretical basis and technical demonstration for the disposal and transformation of solid waste. • A biochar derived from the used cigarette filters is applied as fuel in DC-SOFCs. • DC-SOFC output increases from 308 to 341 mW cm−2 at 850 °C by Fe catalyst. • Accumulated elements in used cigarette filters char acts as catalyst for Boudouard reaction. • Fe-loaded UCF biochar is a promising fuel for DC-SOFC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of ternary metal oxide to improve photoelectrochemical performances of TiO 2 photocatalysts is the hot topic in environmental and resource applications. Herein, Bi 2 Sn 2 O 7 nanoparticles were deposited on TiO 2 nanotube arrays (TiO 2 NTAs) by the solvothermal technology only by changing reagent concentration. The solar absorption region of TiO 2 NTAs was obviously extended into visible light after Bi 2 Sn 2 O 7 sensitization, and the photoelectric performance was also significantly improved. The high visible light photocurrent density and photovoltage achieved 30.24 μA/cm2 and -0.19 V, and the interface resistance was reduced that benefited the rapid electron transportation. The photocatalytic performances of methyl orange (MO), rhodamine b (RhB), methylene blue (MB) and Cr (VI) removal were enhanced, and 63.76%, 77.34%, 100% and 100% of these pollutants were photoremoved under solar irradiation. Moreover, the construction of direct Z-scheme Bi 2 Sn 2 O 7 /TiO 2 NTAs heterojunction was beneficial to the photoelectron transfer and active radical formation, and the experimental results indicated that •OH and •O 2 - were the decisive species for the dye degradation. The samples also exhibited outstanding photocatalytic water splitting for H 2 evolution, and the high efficiency (306.36 μmol·cm−2·h−1) and stability were confirmed. The excellent photocatalytic performances of the Bi 2 Sn 2 O 7 /TiO 2 NTAs photoelectrodes showed extensive potential applications in environmental pollution and green resource exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canonically, gasdermin D (GSDMD) cleavage by caspase-1 through inflammasome signaling triggers immune cell pyroptosis (ICP) as a host defense against pathogen infection. However, cancer cell pyroptosis (CCP) was recently discovered to be activated by distinct molecular mechanisms in which GSDMB, GSDMC, and GSDME, rather than GSDMD, are the executioners. Moreover, instead of inflammatory caspases, apoptotic caspases and granzymes are required for gasdermin protein cleavage to induce CCP. Sufficient accumulation of protease-cleaved gasdermin proteins is the prerequisite for CCP. Inflammation induced by ICP or CCP results in diametrically opposite effects on antitumor immunity because of the differential duration and released cellular contents, leading to contrary effects on therapeutic outcomes. Here, we focus on the distinct mechanisms of ICP and CCP and discuss the roles of ICP and CCP in inflammation and antitumor immunity, representing actionable targets. Hou and Hsu et al. discuss the major differences between immune cell pyroptosis (ICP) and cancer cell pyroptosis (CCP) in their mechanisms and functions in cancer progression and propose that acute inflammation induced by both ICP and CCP boosts antitumor immunity and inhibits tumor growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiO 2 nanotube arrays (TiO 2 NTs) were regarded as the outstanding semiconductors for the photocatalytic application in waste water treatment and H 2 generation, and CdS nanoparticles as the visible light sensitizers were traditionally used to enhance the photocatalytic performance. In this paper, CdS–CuS co-sensitizers were deposited on TiO 2 NTs by one-pot hydrothermal method, and the Cu/Cd ratio was changed to adjust the hybrid photocatalyst composition and electron transfer. The photocatalytic data indicated that suitable CdS–CuS composition could effectively enhance the photocatalytic pollutant removal and photocurrent/H 2 evolution and the hybrid photocatalyst also exhibited the high stability by the inhibition of CdS photocorrosion. The p-n heterojunction construction of TiO 2 NTs/CdS–CuS benefited the solar response, photoelectron separation and photocatalytic reaction, and the photocatalytic mechanism and photoelectron transfer were investigated. The p-n heterojunctional photocatalyst is supposed to apply in environmental remediation and new energy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofunctional photocatalysts are attractive materials in solar energy transformation for environmental protection and green energy source generation. TiO 2 nanoparticles are the most prospective photocatalysts due to the high photoactive property. In this paper, Ag nanoparticle-sensitized TiO 2 nanotube arrays (Ag/TiO 2 NTAs) were constructed as the photoelectrochemical platform for pollutant removal and hydrogen generation. TiO 2 NTAs were firstly obtained by the anodization method, and carbon layer was formed by the hydrothermal carbonization of glucose in different concentrations, and then Ag nanoparticles were deposited by carbon reduction of Ag+. Ag/TiO 2 NTAs could effectively decompose organic dye molecules and remove toxic heavy metal ions. The samples also could achieve visible light photocurrent and hydrogen generation. The surface plasmon resonance absorption and electron transfer path of Ag nanoparticles benefit photochemical performance improvement of TiO 2 NTAs. The construction of multifunctional platform of Ag/TiO 2 NTAs would cause extensive response and focus in the synergistic applications of semiconductor photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production was recognized as an effective strategy to obtain renewable energy for solving the environmental pollution and resource shortage crisis. Herein, we explored the solvothermal deposition method to successfully prepare blanket-like Bi 2 MoO 6 coated on TiO 2 nanotube arrays (TiO 2 NTA/Bi 2 MoO 6), and the TiO 2 NTA/Bi 2 MoO 6 photocatalyst showed outstanding visible light-driven photocatalytic water splitting capacity, and the hydrogen evolution rate achieved 129.26 μmol h-1 cm-2. Moreover, the sample also exhibited high photocatalytic pollutant decomposition performance. The remarkable photocatalytic performance was attributed to the synergistic effect of Bi 2 MoO 6 and TiO 2 NTA in the matched energy band location for solar absorption and carrier transportation. The synthesis and photocatalytic water splitting of Bi 2 MoO 6 /TiO 2 NTA could afford the reproducible lesson for novel resource utilization of semiconductor photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of gasdermin as the executor of pyroptosis has opened new avenues for the study of this process. Although pyroptosis research has mainly focused on immune cells since it was discovered three decades ago, accumulating evidence suggests that pyroptosis plays crucial roles in many biological processes. One example is the discovery of gasdermin-mediated cancer cell pyroptosis (CCP) which has become an important and frontier field in oncology. Recent studies have shown that CCP induction can heat tumor microenvironment (TME) and thereby elicit the robust anti-tumor immunity to suppress tumor growth. As a newly discovered form of tumor cell death, CCP offers promising opportunities for improving tumor treatment and developing new drugs. Nevertheless, the research on CCP is still in its infancy, and the molecular mechanisms underlying the expression, regulation and activation of gasdermins are not yet fully understood. In this review, we summarize the recent progress of gasdermin research in cancer area, and propose that the anti-tumor effect of immune cell pyroptosis (ICP) and CCP depends on their duration, intensity, and the type of cells undergoing pyroptosis within TME. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiO 2 nanotube arrays (TiO 2 NTAs) were mainly synthesized by the anodization of Ti foils, and the Ti mesh anodization was little researched. TiO 2 NTAs/Ti mesh showed remarkably high photocatalytic performance in pollutant treatment and photocurrent/hydrogen generation. In this paper, TiO 2 NTAs were synthesized on flexible three dimensional Ti mesh surface, and CdS/PbS sensitizers covered TiO 2 NTAs by the hydrothermal deposition. Especially, the S –CdS photocatalyst prepared by CdS sensitization showed strong photocurrent and photocatalytic pollutant removal capacity. RhB, MB dyes and Cr(VI) ions were effectively purified under solar irradiation, and samples also showed excellent visible light-driven photoelectric ability. Furthermore, the S –PbS photocatalyst prepared by PbS sensitization showed high photocatalytic water splitting performance. The functional material offers a flexible, low cost and high photocatalytic membrane for waste water treatment and photocurrent/hydrogen generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) has been recently shown to be a major obstacle to antiviral immunity by binding to its receptor programmed death 1 (PD-1) on specific IFN-γ producing T cells in chronic hepatitis B. Currently, IFN-α is widely used to treat hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, but its antiviral effect vary greatly and the mechanism is not totally clear. We found that IFN-α/γ induced a marked increase of PD-L1 expression in hepatocytes. Signal and activators of transcription (Stat1) was then identified as a major transcription factor involved in IFN-α/γ-mediated PD-L1 elevation both in vitro and in mice. Blockage of the PD-L1/PD-1 interaction by a specific mAb greatly enhanced HBV-specific T cell activity by the gp96 adjuvanted therapeutic vaccine, and promoted HBV clearance in HBV transgenic mice. Our results demonstrate the IFN-α/γ-Stat1-PD-L1 axis plays an important role in mediating T cell hyporesponsiveness and inactivating liver-infiltrating T cells in the hepatic microenvironment. These data raise further potential interest in enhancing the anti-HBV efficacy of IFN-α and therapeutic vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new oblique imaging scheme was devised for lettuce fresh weight estimation. • A position-guided network was customized to extract oblique view image features. • Our model exhibited better performances versus to other approaches. Fresh weight is a crucial indicator for assessing crop growth in plant factory. To date, the majority of non-destructive techniques employed for estimating crop fresh weight rely on the top view images. Nevertheless, these approaches are limited in performance due to the constrained and non-open environment of plant factories. In this paper, we propose a novel position-guided network (PosNet) to estimate the fresh weight of crop using oblique view images. Precisely, we first build the crop (i.e., lettuce) dataset by positioning the camera vertically in an oblique angle, with the Mask R-CNN framework trained for individual lettuces segmentation from the background. The segmented lettuce images are then fed into the PosNet for network training and testing purpose. By integrating the shallow feature extraction module and the position information extraction module, the proposed PosNet attains superior performance on assessing the lettuce fresh weight from oblique view images against other models. We further conducted the ablation studies and generalization testing to verify the efficacy and robustness of the proposed network model. Moreover, by comparing three variations (i.e., position, growth stage and posture orientation) of the lettuce separately and the sensitivity analysis of oblique shooting angles, our method demonstrates plausible adaptability for lettuce fresh weight estimation. Taking the accuracy, robustness, generalization capability, and adaptability into account, the integration of PosNet with oblique images not only enjoys great potentials in assessing the fresh weight, but also provides a practical support for agronomic management of crops cultivated in plant factories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection induces hepatocarcinogenesis and malignant progression, yet global effects of the redundant viral mRNAs produced during infection are unexplored. Here, microRNA (miRNA) target prediction and whole genome expression analysis revealed that HBV pre-C/C mRNA leads to upregulation of multiple let-7a targeted genes. A let-7a complementary region from nt 86 to 108 in the HBV genome was then identified in HBV pre-C/C, pre-S, and S mRNAs. The let-7a sequestration effect by HBV mRNAs was observed under transfection and virus infection, which is dependent on the let-7a response sequence. Moreover, we found reduced AGO2 binding, as well as functional mRNA and protein de-repression of let-7a targets (e.g., c-myc, K-RAS, and CCR7), upon viral mRNA expression. Let-7a levels in the liver were significantly decreased in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with HBV infection and were negatively correlated with intrahepatic pre-S2 mRNA levels. Finally, both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that let-7a inhibition by HBV mRNAs resulted in enhanced HCC cell colony formation and tumor growth, providing evidence of the oncogenic potential of HBV mRNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate analysis of electrode material parameters is of great significance for advancing Lithium-ion battery research. This paper presents the first application of the laboratory X-ray computed tomography (CT) technique for the material parameter analysis of rectangular lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. Firstly, performing a disassembly experiment of rectangular LFP battery, the geometric size of positive and negative electrodes and the heterogeneity of materials are analyzed. Secondly, a sine function model is proposed to identify the 2D tomographic images representing the positive and negative electrodes from the reconstructed 3D dataset. Then, the histograms of the 2D tomographic images are fitted with a Gaussian function to identify and quantify the content of electrode materials. Finally, the distributions of positive and negative materials are quantified by meshing and contour plots. The positive and negative materials are unevenly distributed on current collectors, and their distribution properties are closely related to the distance between the electrodes and the thickness center of the wound prismatic cell. The locations of the low aggregation regions of the positive and negative materials are not consistent. It can be expected that this paper will provide a new insight into the analysis of 3D imaging of electrode materials before/after battery operation. • A sine function model is constructed to identify the 2D tomographic images of electrodes. • Using a Gaussian function identify and quantify the content of electrode materials. • Using meshing and contour plots quantify the distribution of electrode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a catalyst-free method for the preparation of orientation-ordered single-crystal Cd 1 − x Zn x S nanorod arrays on graphite substrates has been reported. The morphology and crystal structure of the Cd 1 − x Zn x S nanorod arrays were studied using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that the nanorods with 40–100 nm in diameter and 2000 nm in length grew along the [0 0 1] direction of the hexagonal crystalline phase. A vapor–solid (VS) growth mechanism was proposed for the formation of the Cd 1 − x Zn x S nanorod arrays. The photoluminescence characterizations showed a strong blue emission at 420 nm for the Cd 1 − x Zn x S nanorod arrays when the value of x is 0.5. Thus, with a simple CVD technique, the high-density and orientation-ordered nanorod arrays would become a promising candidate in many applications such as building blocks for optoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The air-suction precision seed-metering device is prone to the instability of the seed adsorption state, which arises from blockage of the suction hole and leads to uneven seeding. This paper analyzed and determined key structural parameters of the seed-metering plate, then established an adsorption mechanics model of the seed during the migration process and designed the key structure of the air-suction seed-metering device with the aim of improving the uniformity of high-speed direct seeding of vegetables. Furthermore, we used the DEM-CFD coupling method to analyze the influence of the law of seeds on the change of the flow field with different hole types. Results showed that the turbulent kinetic energy (202.65 m2∙s−2) and the coupling force to the seeds (0.029 N) of the B-type hole are the largest, which is the best fluid domain structure for the suction hole of the seed-metering plate. Moreover, we used Adams to analyze the meshing process between the knock-out wheel and the seed-metering plate, affirming the rationality of the knock-out wheel design. Finally, in order to improve the working efficiency of the seed-metering device, we performed one-factor and response surface experiments of seeding performance using the air-suction seed-metering device designed with the optimized structure as the experimental object. Analysis of the influence of weights across each factor on the experimental performance evaluation indicators revealed an optimal combination of seeding performance parameters in the air-suction seed-metering device, namely a seed-throwing angle of 13°, a working speed of 14.5 km/h, and negative pressure of 3.1 kPa. Results from verification experiments revealed the corresponding experimental indicators, namely qualified, multiple, and missing indexes of 95.9, 1.2%, and 2.9%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The deposition of CeO 2 on TiO 2 NTs was achieved by solvtoerhmal/annealing treatment. • The TiO 2 NTs/CeO 2 photoelectrode displayed the amazing photocatalytic capacity. • The preparation and photocatalytic mechanisms were explored. The environment remediation and new energy development are the investigation focus of scientists, and the photocatalytic technology could simultaneously achieve the goal by solar energy conversion. In this paper, the hybrid photocatalysts were synthesized by the deposition of CeO 2 nanospheres on TiO 2 nanotube arrays (TiO 2 NTs) by the solvothermal/annealing treatment, and the operation order displayed vital influences on the photocatalytic capacity. The Sample 4 prepared with annealing-solvothermal-annealing treatment showed the improved light response and low photoelectron recombination. The high visible light-driven photocurrent and hydrogen generation were obtained, and the photocatalytic removal of RhB, MB and Cr(VI) was also attractive. The hybrid TiO 2 NTs/CeO 2 photocatalyst displayed the high photostability toward the H 2 generation and dye degradation, and the mechanism was proposed to explain the outstanding photocatalytic ability. Consequently, it could be recognized that the TiO 2 NTs/CeO 2 photocatalyst would exhibit excellent potential in dyeing and electroplating wastewater purification and new energy development because of the attractive photocatalytic capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Anatase titanium dioxide (TiO2) mesoporous microspheres with core–shell and hollow structure were successfully prepared on a large scale by a one-step template-free chemical vapor deposition method. The effects of various reaction conditions on the morphology, composition and structure of the products were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) technique and photoluminescence (PL) method. The results indicate that the product near the source was composed of core–shell structure TiO2 microspheres with diameters from 3 to 5μm. With increasing the distance between the source materials and the substrate, the hollow TiO2 spheres with 1–2μm dominant the products. A localized Ostwald ripening can be use to explain the formation of core–shell and hollow structures, and the size of the initial TiO2 solid nanoparticles plays an important role in determining the evacuation manner of the solid in the ripening-induced hollowing process. The surface area of TiO2 hollow microspheres determined by the adsorption isotherms was measured to be 74.67m2/g. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis revealed that the O–H peaks of hollow structures have a chemical shift compared with the core–shell structures. The optical property of the products was also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Single crystalline CdTe branched nanowires and well-aligned nanorod arrays were simultaneously synthesized by a simple chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) and selected area electronic diffraction (SAED) were used to study the crystalline structure, composition and morphology of different samples. Vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) and vapor–solid (VS) processes were proposed for the formation of the CdTe branched nanowires and nanorod arrays, respectively. As-grown CdTe nanorod arrays show a strong red emission band centered at about 620nm, which can be well fitted by two Gaussian curves centered at 610nm and 635nm, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents a novel concurrent fault simulation algorithm for nonlinear analog circuits. Between successive time steps in transient fault simulation, all faulty circuits in the fault list are simulated before the simulator proceeds to the next step. Four primary techniques, including fault grouping, fault ordering, state prediction, and reduced-order fault matrix computation, are proposed to significantly reduce analog fault simulation complexity by making use of the similarities between the faulty and fault-free circuits. The method has been implemented in a dc and transient fault simulator called CONCERT2, which is the first ever for nonlinear analog circuits. Up to two orders of magnitude speedup is obtained for complete transient fault simulation, without loss of accuracy in fault detection. It is shown that the methodology of CONCERT2 can significantly speed up the process of analog test stimulus generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar-driven seawater evaporation for seawater desalination is the effective and sustainable solution to utilize solar energy. We designed a hybrid photothermal material composed of Au–H 2 Ti 2 O 5 nanowires on Ti foam with outstanding photothermal conversion performance to meet the requirement of freshwater shortage. Herein, H 2 Ti 2 O 5 nanowires were grown on the surface of Ti foam as the substrate and water transfer layer by the hydrothermal method, and then Au nanospheres were deposited on H 2 Ti 2 O 5 nanowires with the assistance of UV light reduction. The results indicated that the Au-10 material prepared with Au nanosphere deposition of 10 cycles exhibited the excellent solar absorption and photothermal ability, the water evaporation rate and conversion efficiency achieved 4.6800 kg m−2 h−1 and 58.76% under 5 sun irradiation, which was 2.07 times that of the sample without Au deposition. More importantly, the Au-10 showed high stability in the seawater evaporation with nearly lossless photothermal efficiency. The described design strategy of Au–H 2 Ti 2 O 5 photothermal materials is simple, effective and repeatable, which is suitable for the practical solar-evaporation application. Image 1 • Au–H 2 Ti 2 O 5 nanowires on Ti foam with high photothermal activity were prepared. • The deposition of Au nanospheres significantly influenced the photothermal conversion. • The Au-10 showed high efficiency and stability in the seawater evaporation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ti3+ self-doped TiO 2-x nanotube arrays (TiO 2-x NTs) were prepared by solvothermal treatment in KBH 4 ethanol solution followed by calcination, and were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV–vis diffusion reflection spectroscopy (DRS). The photoelectrochemical properties of TiO 2-x NTs prepared in different KBH 4 concentrations were investigated. The TiO 2-x NTs exhibited high visible light response, visible light photocurrent and photoelectrocatalytic activities. The active species and photocatalytic mechanism for the dye degradation were proposed, and the improved photoelectrochemical performance was attributed to the synergistic effect of the narrowed energy gap and enhanced electron transportation. The ability to improve the photoelectrochemical properties of TiO 2-x electrode materials should open up new opportunities for high-performance solar cells and photocatalysts. Unlabelled Image • The Ti3+ self-doped TiO 2-x nanotube arrays were prepared by a solvothermal method. • KBH 4 concentrations play key influences on photoelectrochemical performances of TiO 2-x NTs. • The TiO 2-x NTs (0.05) showed the optimal photoelectrochemical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the silver-based semiconductor modified TiO 2 nanotube arrays (TiO 2 NTA) for the improved photocatalytic treatment of industrial waste water have been a hot topic. The simple synthesis and environmental application of photocatalysts with excellent photocatalytic ability is still a big challenge. Herein, We reported the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) preparation of Ag 2 O nanoparticles on TiO 2 NTA surfaces. The different deposition cycles were performed to investigate the influence of Ag 2 O deposition amounts on the photoelectrochemical activity. Results revealed that the S-10 fabricated with 10 SILAR cycles had the impressive photocatalytic and photoelectric conversion performances. The visible light photovoltage and photocurrent of S-10 electrode were −0.20 V and 463.2 μA/cm2. Moreover, the photocatalytic degradation efficiencies of MO, RhB and MB dyes achieved 67.40%, 59.19% and 93.89%, respectively. Further increasing the irradiation time, the mineralization degree of organic dyes were improved up to 71.28%, 60.31%, and 92.58% after 6 h solar irradiation. Cr(VI) ions were also dramatically removed by photocatalysts. The remarkable photocatalytic performance of Ag 2 O/TiO 2 NTA would exhibit attractive prospect in the industrial waste water purification. Image 1 • Ag 2 O nanoparticles were deposited on TiO 2 NTA by a SILAR method. • The Ag 2 O/TiO 2 NTA showed the attractive photocatalytic activity. • The active group and photocatalytic mechanism were investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary A high voltage gain characteristic is required in fuel cell vehicles to achieve voltage matching between low voltage fuel cell and high voltage DC‐link bus. In this paper, a non‐isolated high step‐up dc‐dc converter based on switched‐capacitor (SC) and active‐interleaved‐network (AIN) is proposed. The main advantages of the converter are the high voltage gain without an extremely high duty cycle, automatic current sharing of inductors, reduced input current ripple, and lower device voltage stress when compared to the topologies with the same output voltage. Detailed descriptions of the converter including operation principle and dynamic response analysis are presented in this manuscript. To verify the correctness of the theoretical analysis and feasibility of the proposed converter, a 500 W prototype with 20 V input and 200 V output is built. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The release of organic contaminants has grown to be a major environmental concern and a threat to the ecology of water bodies. Persulfate-based Advanced Oxidation Technology (PAOT) is effective at eliminating hazardous pollutants and has an extensive spectrum of applications. Iron-based metal–organic frameworks (Fe-MOFs) and their derivatives have exhibited great advantages in activating persulfate for wastewater treatment. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review of recent research progress on the significant potential of Fe-MOFs for removing antibiotics, organic dyes, phenols, and other contaminants from aqueous environments. Firstly, multiple approaches for preparing Fe-MOFs, including the MIL and ZIF series were introduced. Subsequently, removal performance of pollutants such as antibiotics of sulfonamides and tetracyclines (TC), organic dyes of rhodamine B (RhB) and acid orange 7 (AO7), phenols of phenol and bisphenol A (BPA) by various Fe-MOFs was compared. Finally, different degradation mechanisms, encompassing free radical degradation pathways and non-free radical degradation pathways were elucidated. This review explores the synthesis methods of Fe-MOFs and their application in removing organic pollutants from water bodies, providing insights for further refining the preparation of Fe-MOFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Second Oil Production Plant of Xinjiang Oilfield produces a large amount of highly emulsified crude oil, which has a serious impact on the subsequent oil–water separation. At present, the concentration of demulsifier has increased to 2000 mg/L, but the demulsification effect is still poor. In this paper, the source and physical properties of highly emulsified crude oil are investigated firstly. The results show that highly emulsified crude oil is composed of three kinds of liquid: (1) conventional water flooding (WF); (2) chemical flooding (CF); (3) fracturing backflow fluid (FB). Among them, high zeta potential, low density difference, high viscosity, and small emulsion particles are responsible for the difficulty in the demulsification of the WF emulsion, while the high pH value is the reason why the CF emulsion is difficult to demulsify. Therefore, systematic experiments were implemented to investigate the optimal demulsification approach towards the three liquids above. As for the WF emulsion, it was necessary to raise the temperature to 70 °C and the concentration of the demulsifier to 200 mg/L. Moreover, it was only necessary to add 200 mg/L of demulsifier to break the CF emulsion after adjusting the pH value to 7, while no extra treatments were needed to break the FB emulsion. We hope this study can provide a new insight for the treatment of emulsions in the later stage of oilfield development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to put forward an efficient and eco-friendly approach to degrade dye-containing industrial effluents, an n-Fe3O4/ACF nanocomposite was synthesized using the facile precipitation method and applied as a functional cathode for a heterogeneous electro-Fenton (E-Fenton) process. In particular, optimal initial pH value, current density, pole plate spacing, and electrode area were confirmed through systematical experiments as 5.73, 30 mA/cm2, 3 cm, and 2 × 2 cm2, respectively. Under such optimal reaction conditions, 98% of the methylene blue (MB) was degraded by n-Fe3O4/ACF after 2 h of E-Fenton treatment. In addition, n-Fe3O4/ACF could still decolor about 90% of the methylene blue (MB) for five rounds with some reductions in efficiency. Furthermore, results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and heterogeneous E-Fenton performance tests indicated that the loading of metal material Fe3O4 could enhance the overall electron transport capacity, which could accelerate the whole degradation processes. Moreover, the rich pores and large specific surface area of n-Fe3O4/ACF provided many active sites, which could greatly improve the efficiency of O2 reduction, promote the generation of H2O2, and shorten the reaction length between •OH and the pollutant groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Sensitive and reproducible CuNPs@AgNPs@PSB SERS substrates were prepared using a self-assembly approach. • The CuNPs@AgNPs structure was successfully synthesized on the Porous silicon Bragg reflector (PSB) surface using the reduction of PSB and copper nanoparticles. • Low concentration detection of R6G and CPPU was completed. • The prepared high-performance and high-sensitivity SERS substrate have a very promising application in detection technology. The development of a highly sensitive, synthetically simple and economical SERS substrate is technically very important. A fast, economical, sensitive and reproducible CuNPs@AgNPs@ Porous silicon Bragg reflector (PSB) SERS substrate was prepared by electrochemical etching and in situ reduction method. The developed CuNPs@AgNPs@PSB has a large specific surface area and abundant "hot spot" region, which makes the SERS performance excellent. Meanwhile, the successful synthesis of CuNPs@AgNPs can not only modulate the plasmon resonance properties of nanoparticles, but also effectively prolong the time stability of Cu nanoparticles. The basic performance of the substrate was evaluated using rhodamine 6G (R6G). (Detection limit reached 10−15 M, R2 = 0.9882, RSD = 5.3 %) The detection limit of Forchlorfenuron was 10 μg/L. The standard curve with a regression coefficient of 0.979 was established in the low concentration range of 10 μg/L −100 μg/L. This indicates that the prepared substrates can accomplish the detection of pesticide residues in the low concentration range. The prepared high-performance and high-sensitivity SERS substrate have a very promising application in detection technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO2, we successfully loaded nano-CuO on the TiO2 nanomeshes as CuO-TiO2 nanocomposites through a facile electrodeposition method. The optimized calcined temperature after Cu electrodeposition is confirmed as 450 °C, which could furthest assist the crystallization of anatase TiO2 and guarantee the high photocatalytic activity of CuO-TiO2 nanocomposites. Comparing with pure TiO2 nanomeshes, CuO-TiO2 nanocomposites showed better degradability of methylene blue, and the degradation efficiency reached to 35% after 120 min irradiation. Additionally, CuO-TiO2 nanocomposites exhibit much stronger absorption intensity within the visible light scope, more than two times than that of pure TiO2 nanomeshes, which indicates that the loading of nano-CuO could promote photocatalytic efficiency by the strong visible light absorption. Additionally, CuO-TiO2 nanocomposites show faster photocurrent response and lower charge transfer resistance than that of pure TiO2 nanomeshes, which implies that the recombination rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs was reduced after nano-CuO loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Sb2O3 nanorod-bundles with length of about 4μm were fabricated in the presence of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) by a simple hydrothermal method. The composition, morphology, microstructure and optical property of the as-prepared bundles were characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM and Raman spectrum. The results showed that the nanorod-bundles were composed of massive orthorhombic phase Sb2O3 nanorods grown along [001] direction. It was speculated that the nanorod-bundles developed through self-assembly of initially scattered nuclei into microdisks and subsequent oriented attachment process. PVA played a crucial role in the formation of Sb2O3 nanorod-bundles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this work, a green Fe-doped TiO 2 photocatalyst was successfully synthesized on Ti mesh through the chemical impregnation and anodization method. The influence of sample Fe-content on the photocatalytic performance was investigated in detail. Ordered TiO 2 nanomesh was compactly decorated with nanospheres to form a novel photocatalyst Fe-doped TiO 2 with anatase phase. Simultaneously, it exhibits higher light absorption intensity compared to the pristine TiO 2 within the visible light range, and its absorption peak has a redshift. The VSM results showed that the sample has excellent magnetic properties. It is hard to achieve magnetic agglomeration after magnetic field removal, which benefits the strong recyclability and reusability of Fe-doped TiO 2 photocatalyst. Importantly, this higher visible-light photoresponse of TiO 2 was clearly obtained after Fe doping. When the Fe-content was 0.6 wt%, the degradation rate of methylene blue reached 87.9% under simulated sunlight irradiation for 2.5 h. The prepared nanocrystalline photocatalyst demonstrated excellent photocatalysis because of its prominent crystal morphology, strengthen light-absorption capacity, and commendable inhibition recombination of photo-induced electron-hole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Nanoparticles are uniformly embedded in PSi chips with 40–60 nm pore size, enhancing BRC serum signal. • The Ag 2 O-Ag core–shell structure effectively prevents silver from being oxidized by sulfur, giving the chip a shelf life of six months. • The PCA-t-SNE rapid screening model combined with the SERS microarray provides the basis for the development of a low-cost, rapid and sensitive technique for early screening of breast cancer. Ag 2 O-Ag-PSi (porous silicon) surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) chip was successfully synthesized by electrochemical corrosion, in situ reduction and heat treatment technology. The influence of different heat treatment temperature on SERS performance of the chip is studied. The results show that the chip treated at 300 °C has the best SERS performance. The chip was composed of Ag 2 O-Ag nano core shell with a diameter of 40–60 nm and porous silicon substrate. Then, the optimized chip was used to perform SERS test on serum samples from 30 healthy volunteers and 30 early breast cancer patients, and the baseline was corrected by LabSpec6 software. Finally, the data were analyzed by principal component analysis combined with t-distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (PCA-t-SNE). The results showed that the accuracy of the improved substrate combined with multivariate statistical method was 98%. The shelf life of the chips exceeded six months due to the presence of the Ag 2 O shell. This study provides a basis for developing a low-cost rapid and sensitive early screening technology for breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To further improve the photoelectrocatalytic activity of TiO 2 through metal-free strategy for wastewater treatment, a new type of graphite carbon/TiO 2 heterojunction nanomeshes (GC/TiO 2 HNMs) was successfully prepared by the facile electrochemical-hydrothermal method. By optimizing the precursor (glucose) concentration and reaction current, the GC/TiO 2 HNMs shows excellent photoelectrocatalytic activity towards methylene blue, rhodamine B, methyl orange and methyl violet, which could degrade the dyes by more than 95% within 120 min. The degradation efficiency of the GC/TiO 2 HNMs did not decrease significantly after being reused for 5 times. Besides, modification of graphite carbon on TiO 2 NMs could increase the photocurrent by more than 5 times and dramatically decrease the ionic resistance. The recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs was prevented and the electrons were quickly conducted by graphite carbon, which facilitates the production of •O 2 - and enhances the photoelectrocatalytic activity of the GC/TiO 2 HNMs. Free radical quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) verified that •O 2 - played the main role in photoelectrocatalytic dye degradation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To further improve the photoelectrocatalytic activity of TiO 2 through metal-free strategy for wastewater treatment, a new type of graphite carbon/TiO 2 heterojunction nanomeshes (GC/TiO 2 HNMs) was successfully prepared by the facile electrochemical-hydrothermal method. By optimizing the precursor (glucose) concentration and reaction current, the GC/TiO 2 HNMs shows excellent photoelectrocatalytic activity towards methylene blue, rhodamine B, methyl orange and methyl violet, which could degrade the dyes by more than 95% within 120 min. The degradation efficiency of the GC/TiO 2 HNMs did not decrease significantly after being reused for 5 times. Besides, modification of graphite carbon on TiO 2 NMs could increase the photocurrent by more than 5 times and dramatically decrease the ionic resistance. The recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs was prevented and the electrons were quickly conducted by graphite carbon, which facilitates the production of •O 2 - and enhances the photoelectrocatalytic activity of the GC/TiO 2 HNMs. Free radical quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) verified that •O 2 - played the main role in photoelectrocatalytic dye degradation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clopidol is one of the most widely used anti-coccidiosis drugs. Its residues in poultry products and the environment pose a serious threat to human health. In this work, microwave-assisted synthesis of magnetic ionic liquid/gold nanoparticles (MIL-Au NPs) as the SERS substrates were first designed for sensitive and reliable determination of clopidol residue in egg samples. The experiment shows that MIL(1-methyl-3-hexyl imidazole ferric tetrachloride ([C6mim]FeCl4)) and microwave play a key role in the dispersion and morphology of Au NPs. Under the optimal conditions, the as-prepared MIL-Au NPs were applied to the SERS detection of clopidol in methanol and egg solution and its detection limits can be as low as to 0.5 μg/kg (equal to 0.5 ppb) in both solutions. The standard curves with regression coefficients of 0.9298 and 0.93496 were constructed in the linear range of 100–1000 ppb and 0.5–50 ppb for clopidol in egg solutions. Moreover, satisfactory recoveries (97.5–103.2%) were obtained for egg samples. The developed SERS method provides a way for quantitation of clopidol and can be applied for the convenient, reliable, and highly sensitive detection of antibiotic residues in food and environment, which has great potential in food safety and biological monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) are regarded as a promising battery mainly due to their high safety and environmental friendliness, but suffer from low capacity and energy density. Herein, a pre-intercalated manganese oxide (Na 0.55 Mn 2 O 4 ·1.5 H 2 O)/MXene hybrid (NMO/MXene) is successfully proposed for high-performance ZIBs, in which synergistic effect between MXene and NMO greatly improves the structural stability of NMO and facilitates fast charge transfer and ion diffusion kinetics. Therefore, the resulting NMO/MXene cathodes deliver high-rate capacity of 180 mAh g−1 at 10 C (3.08 A g−1) and long cycling life over 2500 times at 5 C, outperforming most reported Mn-base cathodes. The MXene-mediated strategy for advanced Mn-based cathodes developed here paves a new way to construct high-performance Zn-MnO 2 batteries. [Display omitted] • Pre-intercalated manganese oxide/MXene hybrid nanosheets (NMO/MXene) are prepared. • Synergistic effect between MXene and NMO greatly facilitates zinc storage. • The NMO/MXene electrode exhibits superior zinc storage performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ternary oxide semiconductor could effectively adjust the energy band gap and location by changing the elemental ratio, which remarkably benefits the electron transfer and photoelectrocatalytic H 2 generation. In this paper, hydrangea-like CuBi 2 O 4 sensitizers were prepared on TiO 2 nanotube arrays (TiO 2 NTAs) by one-pot solvothermal deposition. The alkali kind showed vital influences on the microstructure and photoelectrocatalytic performance of CuBi 2 O 4 /TiO 2 NTAs, and the excellent pollutant remediation, photoelectric conversion and photoelectrocatalytic water splitting were achieved by the sample prepared by C 6 H 12 N 4. Under visible light irradiation, the optimized sample displayed the higher photoelectrocatalytic H 2 generation rate (87.42 μmol·cm−2·h−1) than that of samples prepared using other alkali kinds. Moreover, the CuBi 2 O 4 /TiO 2 NTAs also exhibited high organic dye and Cr(VI) removal performance, and the outstanding photoelectrocatalytic activity indicates the novel strategy for the construction of CuBi 2 O 4 /TiO 2 NTAs photocatalyst for H 2 generation by effective photocatalytic water splitting. [Display omitted] • Hydrangea-like CuBi 2 O 4 sensitizers were synthesized on TiO 2 NTAs. • The CuBi 2 O 4 /TiO 2 NTAs photocatalyst showed the high H 2 evolution capacity. • The preparation and photocatalytic mechanisms were explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ag 2 O–Ag-porous silicon Bragg mirror (PSB) composite SERS substrates were successfully synthesized by using a combination of electrochemical and thermochemical methods. Test results showed that the SERS signal increased and decreased as the annealing temperature used for the substrate increased, where the most intense SERS signal was obtained using a substrate annealed at 300 °C. Stability test results showed substantial enhancement of the SERS signal intensity of the Ag 2 O-Ag-PSB composite one month after preparation compared with that of conventional Ag-PSB. We conclude that Ag 2 O nanoshells play an essential role in SERS signal enhancement. Ag 2 O prevents natural oxidation of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) and has a solid localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). SERS signal enhancement was tested using this substrate for serum from patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and Diabetic nephropathy (DN), as well as from healthy controls (HC). SERS feature extraction was performed using principal component analysis (PCA). The extracted features were analyzed by a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm. Finally, a rapid screening model for SS and HC, as well as DN and HC, was developed and used to perform controlled experiments. The results showed that the diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and selectivity for SERS technology combined with machine learning algorithms reached 90.7%, 93.4% and 86.7% for SS/HC and 89.3%, 95.6% and 80% for DN/HC, respectively. The results of this study show that the composite substrate has excellent potential to be developed into a commercially available SERS chip for medical testing. [Display omitted] • The optimized morphology of AgNPs and the excellent optical properties of PSB were combined to amplify the serum SERS signal. • The stability of the substrate is twofold: stability to serum samples and stability under different storage cycles. • Analytical modeling of SERS serum spectra using PCA-LDA produced excellent results on both chronic disease datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • CdS-Ag nanoparticles were synthesized on TiO 2 NTs for Z-scheme heterojunction construction. • The CdS-Ag/TiO 2 NTs photoelectrode showed high photocatalytic H 2 evolution. • The photocatalytic mechanism was studied. The ternary CdS/Ag/TiO 2 NTs photocatalysts with indirect Z-scheme heterojunctions were synthesized by the photoreduction deposition of Ag and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) of CdS on TiO 2 nanotube arrays (TiO 2 NTs). The elemental composition, microstructure, photoresponse and photoelectrochemical property of the photocatalyst were systematically characterized. The results proved that compared with binary heterojunction, the light absorption range of the ternary CdS/Ag/TiO 2 NTs photocatalyst was significantly extended, and the photoelectron transportation efficiency was improved. Under sunlight irradiation, the photocatalytic capacity was verified by investigating the photodegradation of MB and RhB dyes. The CdS/Ag/TiO 2 NTs exhibited the optimal photocatalytic performance with the degradation efficiency of 82.24% for RhB and 100% for MB. The synthesized CdS/Ag/TiO 2 NTs had high photocatalytic hydrogen evolution capacity and stability, and the hydrogen production reached 806.33 μmol·cm−2. Based on the results of electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR) and free radical trapping, the photocatalytic reaction mechanism was explained. The synthesis of ternary CdS/Ag/TiO 2 NTs provides a practical reference and guidance for designing high-efficient photocatalysts with Z-scheme heterojunctions toward solar energy development for H 2 generation, pollutant remediation and photoelectric conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heat shock protein gp96 elicits specific T cell responses to its chaperoned peptides against cancer and infectious diseases in both rodent models and clinical trials. Although gp96-induced innate immunity, via a subset of Toll like receptors (TLRs), and adaptive immunity, through antigen presentation, are both believed to be important for priming potent T cell responses, direct evidence for the role of gp96-mediated TLR activation related to its functional T cell activation is lacking. Here, we report that gp96 containing mutations in its TLR-binding domain failed to activate macrophages, but peptide presentation was unaffected. Moreover, we found that peptide-specific T cell responses, as well as antitumor T cell immunity induced by gp96, are severely impaired when the TLR-binding domain is mutated. These data demonstrate the essential role of the gp96-TLR interaction in priming T cell immunity and provide further molecular basis for the coupling of gp96-mediated innate with adaptive immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the virus generates numerous viral mRNAs/proteins and viral loads, which plays a major role in driving T cell tolerance, viral persistence, and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, currently available anti-HBV agents have no direct effect on viral mRNA transcription and protein expression. In this study, we designed a recombinant fusion of p53 protein with the cell-penetrating peptide PTD (protein transduction domain of trans-activator of transcription), which mediated p53 internalization into hepatocytes. PTD-p53 effectively suppressed HBV transcription and antigen expression by interaction with viral enhancers. We further provide evidence that PTD-p53 counteracts the viral transcription feedback loop and effectively suppressed HBV production of viral mRNAs, as well as HBsAg, HBeAg, and HBcAg, both in vitro and in vivo. Our results thereby provide a basis for developing a new therapeutic approach against HBV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the important mechanisms of EOR for SP binary flooding, emulsification attracts much attention of researchers. But there have not yet unified methods or clear understandings of evaluation of the emulsion function on flooding system and emulsification's impact on enhanced oil recovery. A comprehensive evaluation method of emulsifying properties is established in this paper for the first time. It characterizes the emulsifying properties of different flooding system by using the emulsifying integrated index, and examines the corresponding core flooding results of different emulsifying properties. Results of Berea core test show that the flooding system runs better with a higher emulsifying composite index in cores whose permeability is 300 ∼ 400 mD. When emulsifying integrated index increases from 23.9% to 80.2%, the corresponding oil displacement efficiency reaches 12%. When emulsifying integrated index is under the medium level of 50% or less, the SP flooding system efficiency increases rapidly with the index changes, then increases slowly. The influencing rule of emulsification of SP binary flooding is obtained in this paper, which is important to optimize the formulation of SP binary flooding system, provide an important basis and technical support for the design of field experiments and SP flooding promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Pr 3+ -doped SrBi 2 Nb 2 O 9 (SBN) multifunctional ceramics were synthesized by the conventional solid state method. The photoluminescence (PL) excitation and emission spectra, enhanced ferroelectric and dielectric properties were investigated. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FESEM analyses indicated that the samples were simple phase and uniform flake-structure. Under the 250–350 nm ultraviolet (UV) excitations, the red emission was obtained and the optimal emission intensity was investigated when Pr doping level was 0.005 mol. With the increasing of the Pr 3+ ion contents, the ferroelectric properties were enhanced obviously. As a new multifunctional material, the Pr 3+ -doped SBN ceramics could be used for a wide range of application, such as integrated electro-optical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resistance to apoptosis displayed by liver cancer plays a key role in hepatocarcinogenesis, tumor progression, and resistance to chemo- or radio-therapy. In this study, we uncovered the potential role and mechanism of heat shock protein gp96 in regulating liver tumor cell growth and apoptosis. P53 protein was identified as a gp96 client protein by profiling apoptosis-related proteins in gp96-knockdown liver cancer cells. Overexpression and knockdown studies both demonstrated that gp96 decreases p53 protein levels, and gp96 regulated cell apoptosis in a p53-dependent manner. We further provide evidence that gp96 interacts with both p53 and Mdm2 to enhance Mdm2-mediated p53 ubiquitination and degradation. Moreover, targeting gp96 with siRNA induced cell apoptosis and led to the suppression of liver tumor growth in vivo . In conclusion, we elucidated an underlying mechanism by which gp96 promotes p53 degradation via increasing Mdm2 E3 ligase activity and provided a new therapeutic strategy to target the gp96-mediated anti-apoptotic characteristic of hepatocellular carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The N, F codoping in TiO 2 NTs were carried out by solvothermal-assisted annealing treatment. • The codoped photoelectrode displayed the attractive photocatalytic performance. • The preparation and doping mechanism were explored. [Display omitted] By the exploitation of doping in semiconductor photocatalysts, the energy band structure adjustment would induce the improvement of solar absorption and photochemical performance. Here, we investigated the N/F codoped TiO 2 nanotube arrays (TiO 2 NTs) by tuning the preparation operation sequence of solvothermal doping and annealing treatment. The optimized Sample 1 prepared by the first solvothermal doping in ethanol and then annealing exhibited the outstanding solar absorption, low electron-hole recombination and photoelectrochemical performances. The excellent photocatalytic performances in photocurrent/H 2 generation and pollutant removal were discussed and analyzed in detail. Furthermore, we explained the mechanism of N/F codoping for improved photocatalytic performances. The work gives a referable template for improved photocatalytic application fields of TiO 2 in environment and energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser-induced graphene (LIG) has been widely used in flexible sensors due to its excellent mechanical properties and high conductivity. In this paper, a flexible pressure sensor prepared by bionic micro/nanostructure design and LIG mass fraction regulation is reported. First, prepared LIG and conductive carbon paste (CCP) solutions were mixed to obtain a conductive polymer. After the taro leaf structure was etched on the surface of the aluminum alloy plate by Nd:YAG laser processing, the conductive polymer was evenly coated on the template. Pressure sensors were packaged with a stencil transfer printing combined with an Ecoflex flexible substrate. Finally, the effects of different laser flux and the proportion of LIG in the composite on the sensitivity of the sensor are discussed. The results show that when the laser flux is 71.66 J·cm−2 and the mass fraction of LIG is 5%, the sensor has the best response characteristics, with a response time and a recovery time of 86 ms and 101 ms, respectively, with a sensitivity of 1.2 kPa−1 over a pressure range of 0–6 kPa, and stability of 650 cycle tests. The LIG/CCP sensor with a bionic structure demonstrates its potential in wearable devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel method is demonstrated to detect Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) based on photoluminescence (PL) using porous silicon (PS) coated with silver as a substrate. Ag/PS substrate is obtained through immersion of PS in silver nitrate (AgNO3) solutions and is incubated with Rhodamine B (RB) as PL label. This substrate is easy to be fabricated and the pore size of PS is large enough for biological molecules to infiltrate, which is an ideal platform for biological molecule detection. Through functionalization used glutaraldehyde (GTA) and 4-(N-Maleimidomethyl) cyclohexane-1-carboxylicacid (Sulfo-SMCC) as cross-linkers separately, we test the role of the AFPs antibodies in selective capturing the AFPs antigen and explain the reason of the enhancement of PL intensity. The result shows a significant enhancement of the PL intensity of RB at around 590 nm due to the interaction of antibody–antigen competitive binding with AFPs. Therefore, the PL corresponding to RB was selected to detect the target AFPs and the PL intensity of RB proportional to the AFPs concentration. The detection limit was found to be 1.65 μg/ml for AFPs when GTA was used as cross-linker, and the detection limit was 16.5 ng/ml with Sulfo-SMCC as cross-linker. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Ag and CdS nanoparticles co-sensitization of TiO2 nanotubes (CdS–Ag/TiO2 NTs) were prepared by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) technique. The phase composition, morphology and optical property were characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV–vis diffusion reflection spectroscopy (DRS). The co-modification of Ag and CdS nanoparticles expanded the photoresponse range of TiO2 NTs from ultraviolet region to 668.7nm, and the CdS–Ag/TiO2 NTs prepared by SILAR deposition of 5 cycles exhibited higher visible photocurrent and stability against photocorrosion. The detailed electrons transfer mechanism of CdS–Ag/TiO2 NTs was proposed, and photocatalytic activity toward degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible-light irradiation was also investigated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide mesosponge was fabricated by transformation of TiO2 nanotube arrays using a facial solvothermal method. The structure, morphology and optical property were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV–vis diffusion reflection spectroscopy (DRS). A possible formation mechanism of N-doped TiO2 mesosponge has been proposed. The photoelectrochemical results indicate that N-doped TiO2 mesosponge prepared in ethanol solution of ammonia exhibits much higher photocurrent densities and the optimal photocatalytic activity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

AgS nanoparticle nanowires were prepared in a porous anodic aluminum oxide template by a simple paired cell method, and were characterized by XRD, FESEM, HRTEM and EDS. The results showed that the as-prepared nanowires were composed of monoclinic AgS nanoparticles. The nanowire diameters ranged from 165 to 270 nm, and AgS nanoparticles were nearly spherical with diameters of 40 to 60 nm. The paired cell method is simple, low cost and easy to control for the fabrication of high density and high aspect ratio AgS nanoparticle nanowires. A formation mechanism for the nanoparticle nanowires was suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]