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In this paper, mechanical property tests of sandstone with multiple shapes of prefabricated fractures (single, T-shaped, and Y-shaped fractures) are carried out through the MTS815 rock mechanics testing machine and the Teledyne ISCO D-Series Pumps system. Considering the hydro-mechanical coupling effects, the experiments reveal the key thresholds, strength characteristics and deformation laws of multi-shape fractured sandstones during the progressive failure process. According to the elastic-plastic theory, the continuous damage theory and the statistical damage theory, a new damage model is constructed, which fully reflects the coupled effects among water, micro flaws and macroscopic prefabricated fractures. The crack closure stress σcc, crack initiation stress σci and damage stress σcd of multi-shape fractured sandstone samples are determined by the proposed volumetric strain response method. In the range of 0–90°, the σcc and σci of the multi-shape fractured sandstone samples are different, as well as the angles when the σcd and peak strength (σc) reach their peak values. The stress ratios (the σcc/σc, σci/σc, and σcd/σc are collectively referred to as stress ratios) are hardly affected by the shape and inclination of the fractures inside the rock. According to strength analysis and deformation characteristics, the weakening effect of water has less of an influence on the strength than prefabricated fractures. The stress–strain curve obtained, based on the hydro-mechanical coupling test, is in good agreement with the theoretical curve generated by the damage constitutive model, verifying the rationality of the damage constitutive model. In addition, the fracture inclination only affects the numerical value of the total damage variable of multi-shape fractured sandstone samples, and has minor effects on its variation trend.

Powdery photocatalyst has been deeply studied due to its great potential in water treatment, yet its low recyclability is the bottleneck hindering its practical application. In this work, magnetica...

This study reports facile fabrication of black TiO2−x/CuFe2O4 (Ti3+ self-doped titania coupled with copper ferrite), an efficient sonocatalyst for ibuprofen (IBP) mitigation. Compared with TiO2−x or CuFe2O4, the TiO2−x/CuFe2O4 heterojunction displayed enhanced sono-oxidation performance, and their immobilization onto diatomaceous earth (DE) further increased the oxidation rate. The effects of various parameters on sono-oxidation efficiency were studied, such as pH, IBP concentration, catalyst dosage, co-existing microplastics and chemicals, ultrasonic power and frequency, and introduction of persulfate. Quenching tests demonstrated the roles of reactive species. The intermediates during IBP sono-oxidation were determined by the HPLC-MS method, and the acute toxicity was studied. Furthermore, the reaction mechanism was proposed. The sonocatalyst revealed excellent reusability, suggesting that it is promising for wastewater treatment.

A novel Z-scheme system, Ag/ZnFe2O4/Ag/BiTa1-xVxO4 with enhanced electron transfer capacity was constructed for degrading sulfanilamide (SAM) using solar light. The photocatalytic activity of Ag/ZnFe2O4/Ag/BiTa1-xVxO4 was investigated. The effects of the mass ratio (ZnFe2O4:BiTaO4), doped V dose, Ag wt.% content, and irradiation time on the catalytic performance were evaluated. The reasonable mechanism of Ag/ZnFe2O4/Ag/BiTa1-xVxO4 solar photocatalytic degradation was also presented. These results reveal Ag/ZnFe2O4/Ag/BiTa1-xVxO4 possesses enhanced photocatalytic performance. The loaded Ag as electron mediator increases the electron transfer rate. Particularly, the doped V and the Fe ions from ZnFe2O4 form a powerful electron driving force, which enhances the electron transfer capacity. Ag/ZnFe2O4/Ag/BiTa1-xVxO4 shows optimal photocatalytic performance at 2.0 wt.% Ag and 0.5% doped V dose (ZnFe2O4:BiTaO4 = 1.0:0.5). Also, Ag/ZnFe2O4/Ag/BiTa1-xVxO4 exhibits high stability and repeatability in photocatalytic degradation. Several active species (•OH, •O2−, and h+) are produced in the Z-scheme photodegradation of SAM. These results on the enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag/ZnFe2O4/Ag/BiTa1-xVxO4 are ascribed to synergistic photocatalytic effects of ZnFe2O4 and BiTa1-xVxO4 mediated through Ag and driven by doped V and Fe ions. Therefore, the Z-scheme Ag/ZnFe2O4/Ag/BiTa1-xVxO4 photocatalytic technology proves to be promising for the solar photocatalytic treatment of antibiotics under solar light.

Three new visible-light-induced Z-scheme photocatalytic systems, Er3+:Y3Al5O12@NiGa2O4-WO3, Er3+:Y3Al5O12@NiGa2O4-MWCNTs (10–20 nm)-WO3 and Er3+:Y3Al5O12@NiGa2O4-MWCNTs (40–60 nm)-WO3, are successfully prepared via hydrothermal method. The prepared photocatalysts are characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. UV–vis absorption and PL spectra were also determined to explore luminescence effect of the Er3+:Y3Al5O12. The photocatalytic activities of prepared photocatalysts are evaluated and compared under simulated solar-light irradiation in degradation of organic pollutant with simultaneous hydrogen evolution. The influence factors such as simulated solar-light irradiation time and photocatalyst amount on the photocatalytic activities of prepared photocatalysts are investigated. The results show that the Er3+:Y3Al5O12@NiGa2O4-MWCNTs (40–60 nm)-WO3 is the best one of three prepared photocatalysts in the degradation of methylene blue with simultaneous hydrogen evolution under simulated solar-light irradiation. In addition, the Er3+:Y3Al5O12@NiGa2O4-MWCNTs (40–60 nm)-WO3 also displays high performance in five repeated experiments. At last, the process of photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutant with simultaneous hydrogen evolution caused by Er3+:Y3Al5O12@NiGa2O4-MWCNTs (40–60 nm)-WO3 is proposed.

In this work, Y2SiO5:Pr3+,Li, as an excellent up-conversion luminescence agent from visible-light to ultraviolet-light, is synthesized by using sol-gel method. And then, a series of Y2SiO5:Pr3+,Li/NaNbxTa1−xO3 (x = 0.00, 0.25 and 0.50) with different amounts of Y2SiO5:Pr3+,Li are prepared by using hydrothermal method. The prepared samples are characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The activities of Y2SiO5:Pr3+,Li/Pt-NaNbxTa1−xO3 are investigated through photocatalytic hydrogen evolution in 10 vol% methanol solution under visible-light irradiation. The influences of Nb content in NaNbxTa1−xO3, mass ratio of Y2SiO5:Pr3+,Li and NaNb0.5Ta0.5O3, visible-light irradiation time and reuse-times are examined on the visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The experimental results showed that the prepared Y2SiO5:Pr3+,Li/Pt-NaNb0.5Ta0.5O3 with 0.4:1.0 mass ratio of Y2SiO5:Pr3+,Li and NaNb0.5Ta0.5O3 and 0.25 wt% Pt loading displayed a highest evolved hydrogen activity under visible-light irradiation. This study may provide some significant references for large scale photocatalytic hydrogen evolution utilizing solar energy.

An anti-symmetric dual (ASD) Z-scheme ZnIn2S4/Er3+:Y3Al5O12@ZnTiO3/CaIn2S4 photocatalyst was prepared by isoelectric point and calcination methods. The photocatalytic activity is estimated via degradation of Acid Orange II as a target organic contaminant with simultaneous hydrogen evolution under simulated solar-light irradiation. The prepared ASD Z-scheme ZnIn2S4/Er3+:Y3Al5O12@ZnTiO3/CaIn2S4 photocatalyst has a high photocatalytic activity, which can be assigned to the enlarged photoresponse range, increased reduction surface and enhanced separation efficiency of photo-induced carriers. Furthermore, the cyclic experiment proves that the prepared ASD Z-scheme ZnIn2S4/Er3+:Y3Al5O12@ZnTiO3/CaIn2S4 photocatalyst still maintains a high photocatalytic activity within five repetitive cycles. Moreover, the mechanism on photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants with simultaneous hydrogen evolution caused by ASD Z-scheme ZnIn2S4/Er3+:Y3Al5O12@ZnTiO3/CaIn2S4 photocatalyst is proposed. It is wished that this study could provide a promising pathway for effective degradation and rapid hydrogen production.

Powdery photocatalyst has long been studied, yet its several disadvantages such as light-harvesting and recyclability in suspension system are the bottlenecks for practical application. The recent report on floating photocatalyst provided an alternative method to solve the above problem. In this paper, TiO2 nanoparticles were co-doped by samarium and nitrogen, and then supported onto natural porous mineral diatomite via sol-gel method. The composite powder was granulated to produce self-floating pellet catalyst (Sm/N co-doped TiO2/diatomite hybrid pellet), denoted as SN-TDHP. Its various physicochemical properties such as light absorbance, crystallinity, surface condition as well as morphology were systematically analyzed. The synergy between Sm and N dopants, as well as diatomite and TiO2 were studied. The photoactivity of SN-TDHP was investigated via the degradation towards an antibiotic tetracycline (TC) solution under visible light, and then the optimal co-doping amount and pellet dosage were determined. The optimal pellet catalyst presented its removal rate of TC as 87.2% within 150 min of reaction time. Moreover, self-floating SN-TDHP could simply be filtrated from the surface of water matrix, and presented good reusability after 5 repetitions.

The effect of dissolved organic matter (DOM) fractions on photodegradation of phenanthrene (PHE) in ice was investigated. DOM in surface water and wastewater samples was fractionated using XAD-8/XAD-4 resins into five fractions: hydrophobic acid (HPO-A), hydrophobic neutral (HPO-N), transphilic acid (TPI-A), transphilic neutral (TPI-N) and hydrophilic fraction (HPI). The photodegradation rate of PHE in ice was about 40% greater than that in water. The screening effect and quenching effect contributed 3-12% and 88-97% toward the inhibition of DOM fractions on PHE photodegradation in ice, respectively. The contribution ratios of singlet oxygen (1O2) and hydroxyl radical (OH) produced from DOM fractions to PHE photodegradation rates in ice were 9-31% and 2-13%, respectively. Among five DOM fractions, HPO-A was most efficient in advancing PHE photodegradation in ice through 1O2 mechanism. When excluding the photosensitized effect of 1O2 and OH produced from DOM fractions, the quencing effect of DOM fractions on PHE photodegradation in ice was closely related to their PHE binding ability.

Toxicity and transformation process of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is strongly depended on the interaction between PAHs and dissolved organic matters (DOM). In this study, a 125W high-pressure mercury lamp was used to simulate the sunlight experiment to explore the inhibition mechanism of four dissolved organic matters (SRFA, LHA, ESHA, UMRN) on the degradation of anthracene and pyrene in water environment. Results indicated that the photodegradation was the main degradation approach of PAHs, which accorded with the first-order reaction kinetics equation. The extent of degradation of anthracene and pyrene was 36% and 24%, respectively. DOM influence mechanism on PAHs varies depending upon its source. SRFA, LHA and ESHA inhibit the photolysis of anthracene, however, except for SRFA, the other three DOM inhibit the photolysis of pyrene. Fluorescence quenching mechanism is the main inhibiting mechanism, and the binding ability of DOM and PAHs is dominantly correlated with its inhibiting effect. FTIR spectroscopies and UV–Visible were used to analyze the main structural changes of DOM binding PAHs. Generally, the stretching vibration of N–H and C–O of polysaccharide carboxylic acid was the key to affect its binding with anthracene and C–O–C in aliphatic ring participated in the complexation of DOM and pyrene.

A novel Z-scheme Ag/FeTiO3/Ag/BiFeO3 with excellent visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance was constructed using sol-gel method followed by a photo-reduction process, and applied in the photocatalytic degradation of norfloxacin (NFX) in solution under visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic activities of Ag/FeTiO3/Ag/BiFeO3 and FeTiO3/BiFeO3 nanocomposites were compared. The effects of wt.% content of Ag, the mass ratio (FeTiO3:BiFeO3), and light irradiation time on the photocatalytic activities were assessed. The mechanism on Z-scheme Ag/FeTiO3/Ag/BiFeO3 photocatalytic degradation was also proposed. The results show that Ag/FeTiO3/Ag/BiFeO3 has higher photocatalytic activity than FeTiO3/BiFeO3, and the loading of Ag improves the photocatalytic activity of catalysts. The photocatalytic degradation extent reaches 96.5% within 150 min, when using Ag/FeTiO3/Ag/BiFeO3 at 2.0 wt% Ag (FeTiO3:BiFeO3 = 1.0:0.5). In addition, Ag/FeTiO3/Ag/BiFeO3 can be reused with excellent photocatalytic stability. The study reveals that the active species such as hydroxyl radicals ( OH), holes (h+) and superoxide radicals ( O2−) are generated during the photocatalytic process using Ag/FeTiO3/Ag/BiFeO3. These results on the enhanced photocatalytic activity are attributed to the synergistic photocatalytic effects of FeTiO3 and BiFeO3 with narrow band gaps mediated by Ag. Hence, the Z-scheme Ag/FeTiO3/Ag/BiFeO3 photocatalytic system demonstrates great promise in treating antibiotics in water and wastewater using solar energy.

In this work, a new visible-light driven photocatalyst, carbon quantum dots (CQDs)/KNbO3 composite, is successfully prepared via hydrothermal and mixed-calcination methods Multiple techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, are applied to investigate the morphologies, structures and optical properties of the prepared CQDs/KNbO3 composites. The photocatalytic activity of CQDs/KNbO3 composites is evaluated via degradation of crystal violet dye as target organic pollutant with simultaneous hydrogen production under visible-light irradiation. The results show that the CQDs/KNbO3 composites exhibit much higher photocatalytic activity than the KNbO3. It is ascribed to the presence of the CQDs as co-catalyst on the surface of KNbO3 particles, forming much more active sites for trapping electrons and promoting the separation of photo-generated electron-hole pairs. In addition, the CQDs can absorb visible-lights and emit the ultraviolet-lights to activate the wide band-gap KNbO3. The study of reusability shows that the CQDs/KNbO3 can be effectively recycled for four repetitive cycles and maintain a higher level of photocatalytic activity. In conclusion, the present work designs an effectively visible-light driven photocatalyst, which can be applied in photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants with simultaneous hydrogen evolution.

Z-scheme photocatalysts can be prepared through combining two suitable photocatalyst monomers, but the contact interfaces between two nanoparticles are generally formed. The lattice mismatches and defects are often present on the contact interface, which is not conducive to the photo-induced electron transfer. Consequently, in this work, a novel high-proportion ternary dual Z-scheme Co3O4/NiCo2O4/NiO photocatalyst is prepared via incomplete solid phase chemical reactions of Co(OH)2 and Ni(OH)2. In this way, the formed perfect interfaces between Co3O4 and NiCo2O4 and between NiCo2O4 and NiO may significantly facilitate the photo-induced electron transfer. For estimating the activity of the prepared samples, the experiments of photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) with simultaneous hydrogen production are carried out. The influences of Ni(OH)2 and Co(OH)2 M proportion, calcination temperature and calcination time on the activity of the prepared samples are researched. Besides, the stability and recycling capacity of the Co3O4/NiCo2O4/NiO photocatalyst are assessed by four cycle experiments. A mechanism on MB photocatalytic degradation with simultaneous hydrogen production caused by high-proportion ternary dual Z-scheme Co3O4/NiCo2O4/NiO photocatalyst is proposed. It is hoped that this work can provide some valuable ideas on preparation of new-style photocatalysts for efficient photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants with synchronous hydrogen production.

A new visible-light-induced Z-scheme photocatalytic system, Er 3+ :Y 3 Al 5 O 12 /(MoS 2 /NiGa 2 O 4 )-(BiVO 4 /PdS), is designed and prepared by using hydrothermal and mixed-calcination methods And the prepared samples are characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and UV–vis absorption spectra. The photocatalytic activity is evaluated towards Orange G degradation with simultaneous hydrogen evolution under visible-light irradiation. The photocatalytic experiments indicate that the Er 3+ :Y 3 Al 5 O 12 /(MoS 2 /NiGa 2 O 4 )-(BiVO 4 /PdS) as photocatalyst displays very high photocatalytic activity. It can be ascribed to two sides. One is the use of Er 3+ :Y 3 Al 5 O 12 offering ultraviolet-light to activate the wide-band gap NiGa 2 O 4 . Another is the construction of Z-scheme system between NiGa 2 O 4 and BiVO 4 which can result in a more efficient separation of photoexicited charge carriers, thus endowing it with much powerful oxidation and reduction capabilities. Moreover, the reusability study shows that the prepared photocatalyst can be effectively recycled for three repetitive cycles without an apparent deactivation. In addition, the possible Z-scheme mechanism of Er 3+ :Y 3 Al 5 O 12 /(MoS 2 /NiGa 2 O 4 )-(BiVO 4 /PdS) is also proposed, and further evidenced by photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The present work not only designs a new photocatalytic system but also well applies in photocatalytic degradation of refractory pollutant with simultaneous hydrogen evolution.

In order to expand the light response range of wide band-gap semiconductor photocatalyst (NaTaO3) for effective photocatalytic conversion of Cr(VI), an up-conversion luminescence agent (Er3+:YAlO3) is combined with NaTaO3 and a visible-light driven photocatalyst, NaTaO3/Er3+:YAlO3, is prepared. Moreover, several conduction band co-catalysts (Ag, Au and Pt) are deposited the surface of NaTaO3/Er3+:YAlO3, respectively, to facilitate the transfer rate of photo-generated electrons. X-ray diffractometer (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses are employed to confirm the morphology, microstructure and composition of the prepared photocatalysts. In addition, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra are determined to explore the visible-light absorption properties of Er3+:YAlO3, NaTaO3, NaTaO3/Er3+:YAlO3 and X/NaTaO3/Er3+:YAlO3 (X = Ag, Au and Pt). Photoluminescence (PL) spectra are used to estimate the recombination rate of electron–hole pairs. The effects of irradiation time, photosource kind, solution acidity and used times on the photocatalytic capabilities of NaTaO3/Er3+:YAlO3 and X/NaTaO3/Er3+:YAlO3 (X = Ag, Au and Pt) are investigated in detail. The results show that the uses of up-conversion luminescence agent (Er3+:YAlO3) and co-catalysts (Ag, Au and Pt) can promote NaTaO3 to utilize visible-light to carry out the photocatalytic conversion of Cr(VI). Particularly, the prepared Au/NaTaO3/Er3+:YAlO3 nanocomposite with 1.0 wt% Au and 0.3:1.0 molar ratio of Er3+:YAlO3 and NaTaO3 shows the highest photocatalytic activity in conversion of Cr(VI).

Here, a high effective visible-ultraviolet up-conversion luminescence agent (Er3+:YAlO3) was synthesized and the Er3+:YAlO3/Ta2O5 composite was prepared by sol-gel method. The MoSe2-reduced graphene oxide (MoSe2-RGO) hybrid as co-catalyst was prepared by hydrothermal method. Afterwards, a new Z-scheme photocatalyst, Er3+:YAlO3/Ta2O5-CaIn2S4/MoSe2-RGO, was successfully assembled by hydrothermal methods for visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The Er3+:YAlO3, MoSe2-RGO, Er3+:YAlO3/Ta2O5, CaIn2S4/MoSe2-RGO, Er3+:YAlO3/Ta2O5/MoSe2-RGO and Er3+:YAlO3/Ta2O5-CaIn2S4/MoSe2-RGO were all characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The UV–vis absorption spectra and photoluminescence (PL) spectra of Er3+:YAlO3 were also measured. The photocatalytic hydrogen production activity of Er3+:YAlO3/Ta2O5-CaIn2S4/MoSe2-RGO was examined under visible-light irradiation. In addition, the reused times of Er3+:YAlO3/Ta2O5-CaIn2S4/MoSe2-RGO for photocatalytic hydrogen production were investigated. The results showed that the Er3+:YAlO3/Ta2O5-CaIn2S4/MoSe2-RGO photocatalyst in aqueous methanol solution displayed the highest photocatalytic hydrogen production activity under visible-light irradiation and after five-times photocatalytic hydrogen experiment the photocatalytic activity of Er3+:YAlO3/Ta2O5-CaIn2S4/MoSe2-RGO is basicly stable in the process of splitting methanol aqueous solutions.

By using TiO2 and Ta2O5 colloids, a stable and efficient visible-light driven photocatalyst, Er3+:Y3Al5O12/TiO2 Ta2O5/MoO2 composite membrane, was successfully prepared via sol–gel dip coating method at room temperature. The XRD, FTIR, SEM, TEM and EDX results confirm that approximately spherical Er3+:Y3Al5O12 nanoparticles were embedded in TiO2 Ta2O5 matrix. UV–vis absorption and PL spectra of Er3+:Y3Al5O12 were also determined to confirm the visible absorption and ultraviolet emission. The photocatalytic hydrogen generation was carried out by using methanol as sacrificial reagent in aqueous solution under visible-light irradiation. Furthermore, some main influence factors such as heat-treated temperature, heat-treated time and molar ratio of TiO2 and Ta2O5 on visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen generation activity of Er3+:Y3Al5O12/TiO2 Ta2O5/MoO2 composite membrane were studied in detail. The experimental results showed that the photocatalytic hydrogen generation activity of Er3+:Y3Al5O12/TiO2 Ta2O5/MoO2 composite membrane heat-treated at 550 °C for 3.0 h was highest when the molar ratio of TiO2 and Ta2O5 was adopted as 1.00:0.50. And that a high level photocatalytic activity can be still maintained after four cycles. In addition, a possible mechanism for the visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen generation of the Er3+:Y3Al5O12/TiO2 Ta2O5/MoO2 membrane was proposed based on PL spectra.

In this work, three types of N,F-codoped TiO2 nanoparticles (N,F-TiO2) were synthesized using modified sol-gel methods, and applied in degradation of acid red B (AR B), as a target pollutant in solution. The extents of the degradation of acid red B were investigated to compare the photocatalytic activities of prepared three photocatalysts. The results show that anatase N,F-TiO2 nanoparticles can be obtained using the three methods with significantly enhanced photocatalytic degradation extents. The degradation rate under visible light alone is very slow, and the N,F-TiO2(1) prepared by different adding sequence of nitrogen and fluorine sources, exhibits higher degradation effect. Also, crystallite sizes and dispersion of particles, adding sequence of nitrogen and fluorine sources, doped dose, and treatment temperature have significant effects on the photocatalytic activity. Moreover, more OH radicals are generated under visible light, in the presence of N,F-TiO2(1) than those in the presence of N,F-TiO2(2) prepared by double sol method, and N,F-TiO2(3) prepared by direct method. Therefore, this work suggests that preparation of N,F-TiO2(1) nanoparticles using hydrofluoric acid as fluorine sources and ammonia water as nitrogen sources is promising, and N,F-TiO2(1) is a promising photocatalyst in applications dealing with treatment of dye wastewater using solar light.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is an incurable lymphoproliferative cancer, and patients with NHL have a poor prognosis. The present study explored the regulatory mechanism of expression and possible roles of the immunosuppressive B7-H4 molecule in human NHL. For functional studies, NHL-reactive T cell lines were generated via the isolation of allogeneic CD3+ T cells from healthy donors and repeated in vitro stimulation with irradiated NHL cells isolated from patients. B7-H4 was found to be distributed in NHL cells and tissues, and its surface protein expression levels were further upregulated by the incubation of NHL cells with interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, or interferon-γ. Additionally, the supernatants of tumor-associated macrophages (tMφs) upregulated B7-H4 surface expression by producing IL-6 and IL-10. B7-H4 expressed in NHL cells inhibited the cytotoxic activity of NHL-reactive T cells. Conversely, the inhibition of B7-H4 in NHL cells promoted T cell immunity and sensitized NHL cells to cytolysis. Furthermore, tMφs induced B7-H4 promoted NHL cell evasion of the T cell immune response. In conclusion, this study shows that NHL-expressed B7-H4 is an important immunosuppressive factor that inhibits host anti-tumor immunity to NHL. Targeting tumor-expressed B7-H4 may thus provide a new treatment strategy for NHL patients.

In this study, the interaction between DNA and several cationic surfactants with different head groups such as ethyl hexadecyl dimethyl ammonium bromide (EHDAB), hexadecyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (HDBAC), and cetyl pyridinium bromide (CPB) were investigated by UV–vis absorption, fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, gel electrophoresis, and viscosity technologies. The results show that these cationic surfactants can interact with DNA and major binding modes are electrostatic and hydrophobic. Also, CPB and HDBAC molecules interact with DNA by partial intercalation, and CPB has slightly stronger intercalation than HDBAC, while EHDAB interacts with DNA by non-intercalation. The different head groups of the surfactant molecules can influence the interaction strength. CPB has the stronger interaction with DNA than the others. Moreover, surfactant concentration, the ratio of DNA and fluorescence probe, ionic strength can influence the interaction. The surfactants may interact with DNA by the competition reactions with BR for DNA-BR. The increase of ionic strength may favor the surface binding between DNA and surfactants to some extent. This work provides deep mechanistic insight on the toxicity of cationic surfactants with different head groups to DNA molecules.

A novel Z-scheme system, Ag/ZnFe

Retraction of ‘Fabrication of black TiO2−x/CuFe2O4 decorated on diatomaceous earth with enhanced sonocatalytic activity for ibuprofen mitigation’ by Qiong Wu et al., Catal. Sci. Technol., 2020, 10, 7922–7939, DOI: 10.1039/D0CY01478H

In this work, the Er3+: YAlO3/Co- and Fe-doped ZnO coated composites were prepared by the sol-gel method. Then, they were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Photo-degradation of azo fuchsine (AF) as a model dye under solar light irradiation was studied to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the Er3+: YAlO3/Co- and Fe-doped ZnO coated composites. It was found that the photocatalytic activity of Co- and Fe-doped ZnO composites can be obviously enhanced by upconversion luminescence agent (Er3+: YAlO3). Besides, the photocatalytic activity of Er3+: YAlO3/Fe-doped ZnO is better than that of Er3+: YAlO3/Co-doped ZnO. The influence of experiment conditions, such as the concentration of Er3+: YAlO3, heat-treatment temperature and time on the photocatalytic activity of the Er3+: YAlO3/Co- and Fe-doped ZnO coated composites was studied. In addition, the effects of solar light irradiation time, dye initial concentration, Er3+: YAlO3/Co- and Fe-doped ZnO amount on the photocatalytic degradation of azo fuchsine in aqueous solution were investigated in detail. Simultaneously, some other organic dyes, such as Methyl Orange (MO), Rhodamine B (RM-B), Acid Red B (AR-B), Congo Red (CR), and Methyl Blue (MB) were also studied. The possible excitation principle of Er3+: YAlO3/Co- and Fe-doped ZnO coated composites under solar light irradiation and the photocatalytic degradation mechanism of organic dyes were discussed.

Several conduction band co-catalysts (CBCOs), MoO2, MoS2 and MoSe2, were prepared to improve the visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of Er3+:Y3Al5O12/PdS–ZnS from water splitting, in which the PdS is a valence band co-catalyst (VBCO) used to facilitate the photo-generated hole transfer and the Er3+:Y3Al5O12 is an up-conversion luminescence agent from visible light to ultraviolet light used to provide the ultraviolet light satisfying the energy demands of wide band-gap ZnS photocatalyst. XRD, SEM, TEM and EDX analyses were employed to confirm the morphology, microstructure and composition of the prepared photocatalysts. UV–vis absorption and PL spectra were also determined to explore luminescence effect of the Er3+:Y3Al5O12. The visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of the prepared photocatalysts was evaluated by using Na2S and Na2SO3 as sacrificial reagents in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. The influential factors such as contents of CBCOs (MoO2, MoS2 and MoSe2) and visible-light irradiation time on visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution of Er3+:Y3Al5O12/PdS–ZnS–MoX2 (X = O, S and Se) were investigated in detail. Particularly, Er3+:Y3Al5O12/PdS–ZnS–MoSe2 with 0.30 wt% MoSe2 shows the highest photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity.

The photodegradation behavior of dissolved organic matter (DOM) with different origins in ice under solar irradiation was investigated. Exposure to sunlight at 2.7 × 10(5) J m(-2) resulted in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) reductions of 22.1-36.5% in ice. The naturally occurring DOM had higher photodegradation potentials than the wastewater-derived DOM in ice. Ultraviolet (UV)-absorbing compounds in DOM, regardless of DOM origin, had much higher photodegradation potentials than gross DOC in ice. The susceptibility of UV-absorbing compounds with natural origin to sunlight exposure in ice was higher than those derived from wastewater. Trihalomethane (THM) precursors were more susceptible to photochemical reactions than gross DOC and haloacetic acid (HAA) precursors in ice. THM precursors in naturally occurring DOM were more photoreactive than those in wastewater-derived DOM in ice, while the photoreactivity of HAA precursors in ice was independent of DOM origin. In ice, the photoreactivity of humic-like fluorescent materials, regardless of DOM origin, was higher than that of gross DOC and protein-like fluorescent materials. DOC reductions caused by sunlight irradiation were found to be negatively correlated to DOC levels, and positively correlated to the aromaticity of DOM. The photodegradation of both wastewater-derived and naturally occurring DOM in ice was significantly facilitated at both acid and alkaline pH, as compared to neutral pH. The photodegradation of DOM in ice, regardless of the origin, was facilitated by nitrate ion [Formula: see text] , nitrite ion [Formula: see text] , ferric ion (Fe(3+)) and ferrous ion (Fe(2+)), and on the other hand, was inhibited by chloridion ion (Cl(-)) and copper ion (Cu(2+)).