Publications by authors named "Yuexing Chen"

Crystalline thermoelectric materials, especially SnSe crystals, have emerged as promising candidates for power generation and electronic cooling. In this study, significant enhancement in ZT is achieved through the combined effects of lattice distortions and band convergence in multiple electronic valence bands. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that cation vacancies together with Pb substitutional doping promote the band convergence and increase the density of states (DOS) near the Fermi surface of SnSe, leading to a notable increase in the Seebeck coefficient (S).

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Widespread use of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics and their recycling challenges have led to substantial accumulation of PET wastes in global environments, with inevitable consequences for their entry into the food chains. Recent studies have increasingly documented the ingestion of microplastics by humans through food and beverages. However, the fate of these microplastics within the gastrointestinal tract, particularly the role of the human gut microbiota, remains inadequately understood.

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Providing self-powered energy for wearable electronic devices is currently an important research direction in the field of thermoelectric (TE) thin films. In this study, a simple dual-source magnetron sputtering method was used to prepare AgTe thin films, which exhibit good TE properties at room temperature, and the growth temperature and subsequent annealing process were optimized to obtain high-quality films. The experimental results show that films grown at a substrate temperature of 280 °C exhibit a high power factor (PF) of ~3.

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Flexible thermoelectric (TE) generators have received great attention as a sustainable and reliable option to convert heat from the human body and other ambient sources into electricity. This study provides a synthesis route that involves thermally induced diffusion to introduce Te and Se into Bi, fabricating an n-type Bi-Te-Se flexible thin film on a flexible substrate. This specific synthesis alters the crystal orientation (00) of the thin film, improving in-plane electrical transportation and optimizing carrier concentration.

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AgSe shows significant potential for near-room-temperature thermoelectric applications, but its performance and device design are still evolving. In this work, we design a novel flexible AgSe thin-film-based thermoelectric device with optimized electrode materials and structure, achieving a high output power density of over 65 W m and a normalized power density up to 3.68 μW cm K at a temperature difference of 42 K.

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CuSe is an attractive thermoelectric material due to its layered structure, low cost, environmental compatibility, and non-toxicity. These traits make it a promising replacement for conventional thermoelectric materials in large-scale applications. This study focuses on preparing CuSe flexible thin films through in situ magnetron sputtering technology while carefully optimizing key preparation parameters, and explores the physical mechanism of thermoelectric property enhancement, especially the power factor.

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Sclareolide, a natural product with bioactive and fragrant properties, is not only utilized in the food, healthcare, and cosmetics industries but also serves as a precursor for the production of ambroxide and some bioactive compounds. Currently, there are three primary methods for producing sclareolide: direct extraction from plants, chemical synthesis using sclareol as a precursor, and the biotransformation of sclareol. Here, we established a platform for producing sclareolide through a modular coculture system with and ATCC 20918.

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A bacterial strain designated PU5-4 was isolated from the mealworm (the larvae of ) intestines. It was identified to be Gram-stain-negative, strictly aerobic, rod-shaped, non-motile, and non-spore-forming. Strain PU5-4 was observed to grow at 10-40 °C, at pH 7.

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Enhancing the thermoelectric performance of n-type polycrystalline SnSe is essential, addressing challenges posed by elevated thermal conductivity and compromised power factor inherent in its intrinsic p-type characteristics. This investigation utilized solid-state reactions and spark plasma sintering techniques for the synthesis of n-type SnSe. A significant improvement in the figure of merit (ZT) is achieved through strategic reduction in Se concentration and optimization of crystal orientation.

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Exploring new near-room-temperature thermoelectric materials is significant for replacing current high-cost BiTe. This study highlights the potential of AgSe for wearable thermoelectric electronics, addressing the trade-off between performance and flexibility. A record-high ZT of 1.

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The development of composite photocatalysts with high charge transfer efficiency, great visible light absorption, and quick recovery has aroused the interest of many researchers. Herein, based on the hydrothermal assisted vacuum freeze drying method, CdS, FeO, and N-TiO were, respectively, fixed in the inner, middle, and outer layers of nitrogen-doped graphene aerogel for preparation of the site-specific magnetic porous Z-scheme CdS/FeO@N-doped graphene aerogel microtube/N-doped TiO (CdS/FeO@NGAM/N-TiO) photocatalyst. For the composite, FeO@NGAM carrier with porous and tubular structure not only helps the recycle and reactants/productions mass transport in the photocatalytic process but also ensures the well-steered transfer of electrons and holes from CdS and N-TiO in the Z-type heterojunction system, greatly improving the separation of photogenerated carriers.

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Converting CO into energy-rich fuels by using solar energy is a sustainable solution that promotes a carbon-neutral economy and mitigates our reliance on fossil fuels. However, affordable and efficient CO conversion remains an ongoing challenge. Here, we introduce polymeric g-CN into the pores of a hollow InO microtube.

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Herein, an n-type AgSe thermoelectric flexible thin film has been fabricated on a polyimide (PI) substrate via a novel thermal diffusion method, and the thermoelectric performance is well-optimized by adjusting the pressure and temperature of thermal diffusion. All of the AgSe films are beneficial to grow (013) preferred orientations, which is conducive to performing a high Seebeck coefficient. By increasing the thermal diffusion temperature, the electrical conductivity can be rationally regulated while maintaining the independence of the Seebeck coefficient, which is mainly attributed to the increased electric mobility.

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The significant role of metal particle geometry in dictating catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability is well established in heterocatalysis. However, this topic is rarely explored in semiconductor-metal hybrid photocatalytic systems, primarily due to the lack of synthetic control over this feature. Herein, we present a new synthetic route for the deposition of metallic Cu nanoparticles with spherical, elliptic, or cubic geometrical shapes, which are selectively grown on one side of the well-established CdSe@CdS nanorod photocatalytic system.

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A novel MoS/polyaniline (PANI)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN)@BiFeO bilayer hollow nanofiber membrane (PPBM-H) was successfully synthesized by coaxial electrospinning technique. In the nanofiber, BiFeO nanoparticles (NPs) and MoS nanosheets (NSs) were loaded in the middle and outer layers of the PANI/PAN composites, respectively, which constructs a type II heterojunction with spatially separated microtopography, thus significantly improving the charge separation in photocatalysis. Moreover, the hollow structure and the vast number of exposed groups on the surface of PPBM-H help to improve the mass transfer efficiency and pollutant adsorption performance in wastewater treatment.

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Article Synopsis
  • The coaxial electrospinning technique developed a novel g-CN/PAN/PANI@LaFeO cable fiber membrane (PC@PL) designed for effective pollutant removal through adsorption, filtration, and photodegradation.
  • The PC@PL membrane incorporates LaFeO and g-CN nanoparticles within its structure, functioning as a Z-type heterojunction system that enhances charge carrier separation, thereby improving its catalytic abilities.
  • Its unique properties, such as hydrophilicity and flexibility, allow the membrane to maintain high water flow while effectively removing contaminants like methylene blue and bacteria, achieving significant disinfection rates with excellent long-term performance.
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For thermoelectric thin film, the substrate plays an important role during the growing process and produces effects on its thermoelectric properties. Some special kinds of substrates provide an optimal combination of influences on both the structure and thermoelectric properties. In this work, Bi-Sb-Te films are deposited on Si substrates with different initial orientations by magnetron sputtering in two ways: with and without a pre-coating process.

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The drastically increasing consumption of petroleum-derived plastics hasserious environmental impacts and raises public concerns. Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is amongst the most extensively produced synthetic polymers. Enzymatic hydrolysis of PET recently emerged as an enticing path for plastic degradation and recycling.

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Inorganic n-type Bi2Te3 flexible thin film, as a promising near-room temperature thermoelectric material, has attracted extensive research interest and application potentials. In this work, to further improve the thermoelectric performance of flexible Bi2Te3 thin films, a post-electric current treatment is employed. It is found that increasing the electric current leads to increased carrier concentration and electric conductivity from 1874 S cm−1 to 2240 S cm−1.

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The Te-free compound Bi2SeS2 is considered as a potential thermoelectric material with less environmentally hazardous composition. Herein, the effect of iodine (I) substitution on its thermoelectric transport properties was studied. The electrical conductivity was enhanced due to the increased carrier concentration caused by the carrier provided defect Ise.

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Recently, rock-salt lead-free chalcogenide SnTe-based thermoelectric (TE) materials have been considered an alternative to PbTe because of the nontoxic properties of Sn as compared to Pb. However, high carrier concentration that originated from intrinsic Sn vacancies and relatively high thermal conductivity of pristine SnTe lead to poor TE efficiency, which makes room for improving its TE properties. In this study, we present that the Na incorporation into the SnTe matrix is helpful for modifying the electronic band structure, optimization of carrier concentration, introducing dislocations, and kink planes; benefiting from these synergistic effects obviates the disadvantages of SnTe and makes a significant improvement in TE performance.

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Flexible Bi Te -based thermoelectric devices can function as power generators for powering wearable electronics or chip-sensors for internet-of-things. However, the unsatisfied performance of n-type Bi Te flexible thin films significantly limits their wide application. In this study, a novel thermal diffusion method is employed to fabricate n-type Te-embedded Bi Te flexible thin films on flexible polyimide substrates, where Te embeddings can be achieved by tuning the thermal diffusion temperature and correspondingly result in an energy filtering effect at the Bi Te /Te interfaces.

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Nanocomposite engineering decouples the transport of phonons and electrons. This usually involves the in-situ formation or ex-situ addition of nanoparticles to a material matrix with hetero-composition and hetero-structure (heC-heS) interfaces or hetero-composition and homo-structure (heC-hoS) interfaces. Herein, a quasi homo-composition and hetero-structure (hoC-heS) nanocomposite consisting of Pnma BiSeS - Pnnm BiSeS is obtained through a Br dopant-induced phase transition, providing a coherent interface between the Pnma matrix and Pnnm second phase due to the slight structural difference between the two phases.

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In recent years, emerging two-dimensional (2D) platinum diselenide (PtSe) has quickly attracted the attention of the research community due to its novel physical and chemical properties. For the past few years, increasing research achievements on 2D PtSe have been reported toward the fundamental science and various potential applications of PtSe. In this review, the properties and structure characteristics of 2D PtSe are discussed at first.

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The study of nanocrystal self-assembly into superlattices or superstructures is of great significance in nanoscience. Carbon nitride quantum dots (CNQDs), being a promising new group of nanomaterials, however, have hardly been explored in their self-organizing behavior. Here we report of a unique irradiation-triggered self-assembly and recrystallization phenomenon of crystalline CNQDs (c-CNQDs) terminated by abundant oxygen-containing groups.

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