Self-assembled hole transport engineering and bio-inspired coordination/incoordination ligands synergizing strategy for productive photoelectrochemical water splitting.

Charge transport and metal site stability play a critical role on realizing efficient solar water splitting in photoelectrochemical devices. Here, we investigated BiVO-based composite photoanodes (labelled as NF@PTA/2PACz/BVO) in which BiVO, [2-(9H-carbazol-9-yl) ethyl] phosphonic acid (2PACz) hole transport layers based on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), and terephthalic acid (PTA)-functionalized NiFeOOH (NF@PTA) oxygen evolution cocatalysts (OECs) structurally similar to the OECs in natural photosystem II, were assembled sequentially. Alignment of energy levels and stabilization of metal sites can be achieved by this layer-designed structure.

Monitoring of Single-Track Melting States Based on Photodiode Signal during Laser Powder Bed Fusion.

Single track is the basis for the melt pool modeling and physics work in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). The melting state of a single track is closely related to defects such as porosity, lack of fusion, and balling, which have a significant impact on the mechanical properties of an LPBF-created part. To ensure the reliability of part quality and repeatability, process monitoring and feedback control are emerging to improve the melting states, which is becoming a hot topic in both the industrial and academic communities.

In Situ Construction of Near-Infrared Response Hybrid Up-Conversion Photocatalyst for Degrading Organic Dyes and Antibiotics.

Unique nonlinear optical properties for converting low-energy incident light into high-energy radiation enable up-conversion materials to be employed in photocatalytic systems. An efficient near-infrared (NIR) response photocatalyst was successfully fabricated through a facile two-step method to load BiOBr on the Nd, Er@NaYF (NE@NYF) up-conversion material. The NE@NYF can transform NIR into visible and UV light and promote charge-energy transfer in the semiconductor.

Solar-based photocatalytic ozonation employing novel S-scheme ZnO/CuO/CuO/carbon xerogel photocatalyst: effect of pH, salinity, turbidity, and temperature on salicylic acid degradation.

This paper proposes the study of a solar-based photocatalytic ozonation process for the degradation of salicylic acid (SA) using a novel S-scheme ZnO/CuO/CuO/carbon xerogel photocatalyst. The incorporation of CuO and CuO aims to enhance charge mobility through the formation of p-n heterojunctions with ZnO, whereas the carbon xerogel (XC) was selected due to its eco-friendly nature, capacity to stabilize S-scheme heterojunctions as a solid-state electron mediator, and ability to function as a reducing agent under high temperatures. The characterization of the composites demonstrates that the presence of the XC during the calcination step led to the reduction of a fraction of the CuO into CuO, forming a ternary semiconductor heterojunction system.

Black-wattle tannin/kraft lignin HPO-activated carbon xerogels as excellent and sustainable adsorbents.

This work proposed new black-wattle tannin/kraft lignin HPO-activated carbon xerogels as sustainable and efficient adsorbents. The precursors were chosen based on their eco-friendly and cost-effective nature, aiming to achieve adsorbents with high adsorption capacities. Carbon xerogels were synthesized through polycondensation with formaldehyde and alkaline catalyst in a simple one-pot procedure.

Metal Mesh and Narrow Band Gap MnCdS Photocatalyst Cooperation for Efficient Hydrogen Production.

A novel co-catalyst system under visible-light irradiation was constructed using high-purity metal and alloy mesh and a MnCdS photocatalyst with a narrow band gap (1.91 eV) prepared by hydrothermal synthesis. The hydrogen production rate of MnCdS changed from 2.

Kraft lignin-based carbon xerogel/zinc oxide composite for 4-chlorophenol solar-light photocatalytic degradation: effect of pH, salinity, and simultaneous Cr(VI) reduction.

Considering the ever-increasing need for efficient wastewater treatment, this study focused on the development of new kraft lignin-based carbon xerogel/zinc oxide (XCL/ZnO w) photocatalysts. The inclusion of the carbon xerogel is expected to cause an improvement in charge transfer throughout the photoactivation process, consequently enhancing its overall photocatalytic efficiency. Characterization shows that the materials developed are composed of both zinc oxide and carbon xerogel.

Preparation and photoelectrochemical properties of BiFeO/BiOI composites.

BiFeO thin films were spin coated onto FTO. BiFeO/BiOI composites have been successfully synthesized by an electrochemical deposition method. The morphology, structure and optical absorption properties of the as-synthesized samples were characterized XRD, SEM, and UV-Vis DRS.

Photocatalytic performance of CuO-loaded TiO/rGO nanoheterojunctions obtained by UV reduction.

A novel dot-like CuO-loaded TiO/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanoheterojunction was synthesized via UV light reduction for the first time. CuO with size of ca. 5 nm was deposited on rGO sheet and TiO nanosheets.

Controllable Nd₂Fe₁₄B/α-Fe nanocomposites: chemical synthesis and magnetic properties.

It is extremely desirable but challenging to develop exchange-coupled magnets with well-dispersed hard/soft phase and confined size to meet the high energy requirements of advanced magnets in modern industry and information technology. Here, we report a novel bottom-up strategy with two-step thermal decomposition and reductive annealing process to synthesize Nd₂Fe₁₄B/α-Fe nanocomposites, in which effective control of the hard/soft magnetic phase size and proportion was achieved. It is worth noting that the composition, as well as phase distribution, can be readily tuned by changing the ratio between Nd-Fe-B-oxide and α-Fe.

Controlled doping of carbon nanotubes with metallocenes for application in hybrid carbon nanotube/Si solar cells.

There is considerable interest in the controlled p-type and n-type doping of carbon nanotubes (CNT) for use in a range of important electronics applications, including the development of hybrid CNT/silicon (Si) photovoltaic devices. Here, we demonstrate that easy to handle metallocenes and related complexes can be used to both p-type and n-type dope single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) thin films, using a simple spin coating process. We report n-SWNT/p-Si photovoltaic devices that are >450 times more efficient than the best solar cells of this type currently reported and show that the performance of both our n-SWNT/p-Si and p-SWNT/n-Si devices is related to the doping level of the SWNT.