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- Man, Zhang, et al.
(author)
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Facile one-step synthesis and enhanced photocatalytic activity of WC/ferroelectric nanocomposite
- 2021
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In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 9:40, s. 22861-22870
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The development of noble-metal-free co-catalysts is seen as a viable strategy for improving the performance of semiconductor photocatalysts. Although the photocatalytic efficiency of ferroelectrics is typically low, it can be enhanced through the incorporation of a co-catalyst into nanocomposites. Here, we demonstrate the influence of ferroelectricity on the decolorization of rhodamine B under simulated solar light using RbBi2Ti2NbO10 and compared the performance with that of non-ferroelectric RbBi2Nb5O16. The decolorization rate for RbBi2Ti2NbO10 was 5 times greater than that of RbBi2Nb5O16. This behaviour can be explained in terms of ferroelectric polarization, which drives the separation of charge carriers. The photocatalytic activity of RbBi2Ti2NbO10 was further enhanced to over 30 times upon preparing a nanocomposite with tungsten carbide (WC) through high energy ball milling. This enhancement was attributed not only to the increased specific surface area, but also to the incorporated WC co-catalyst, which also serves as a source of plasmonic hot electrons and extends the photocatalytic activity into the visible light range. The WC/RbBi2Ti2NbO10 nanocomposite shows interesting water oxidation properties and evolves O-2 with a rate of 68.5 mu mol h(-1) g(-1) and a quantum yield of 3% at 420 nm. This work demonstrates a simple route for preparing WC containing nano-ferroelectric composites for solar energy conversion applications.
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- Wang, Yaqiong, et al.
(author)
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Domain Wall Free Polar Structure Enhanced Photodegradation Activity in Nanoscale Ferroelectric BaxSr1-xTiO3
- 2020
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In: Advanced Energy Materials. - : WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH. - 1614-6832 .- 1614-6840. ; 10:38
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ferroelectric materials exhibit anomalous behavior due to the presence of domains and domain walls which are related to the spontaneous polarization inherent in the crystal structure. Control of ferroelectric domains and domain walls has been used to enhance device performances in ultrasound, pyroelectric detectors, and photovoltaic systems with renewed interest in nanostructuring for energy applications. It is also known that ferroelectrics including domain walls can double photocatalytic rate and increase carrier lifetime from microsecond to millisecond. However, there remains a lack of understanding on the different contributions of the domain and domain walls to photocatalytic activities. Herein it is found, by comparing samples of nanostructured Ba(x)Sr(1-)(x)TiO(3)with and without a polar domain, that the material with polar domains has a faster reaction rate (k= 0.18 min(-1)) than the nonpolar one (k= 0.11 min(-1)). It is further revealed that the observed enhanced photoactivity of perovskite ferroelectric materials stems from the inherent polarization of the domain instead of domain walls. Here, the new understanding of the underlying physics of materials with a spontaneous dipole opens a door to enhance the performance of light induced energy harvesting systems.
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- Jing, Shuping, et al.
(author)
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Household Transmission of Human Adenovirus Type 55 in Case of Fatal Acute Respiratory Disease
- 2019
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In: Emerging Infectious Diseases. - : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). - 1080-6040 .- 1080-6059. ; 25:9, s. 1756-1758
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We identified a case of fatal acute respiratory disease from household transmission of human adenovirus type 55 (HAdV-55) in Anhui Province, China. Computed tomography showed severe pneumonia. Comparative genomic analysis of HAdV-55 indicated the virus possibly originated in Shanxi Province, China. More attention should be paid to highly contagious HAdV-55.
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| 6. |
- Li, Lili, et al.
(author)
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UV-protection and fluorescence properties of the exoskeleton obtained from a living diatom modified by an Eu3+-complex
- 2021
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In: Journal of Materials Chemistry C. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2050-7526 .- 2050-7534. ; 9:31, s. 10005-10012
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this article, a natural biological porous material, from living diatoms, is used to prepare new UV-protection hybrid materials with an Eu3+-complex. By removing the organic protoplasm of living diatoms, the exoskeleton with a regular pore structure arrangement was obtained. The Eu3+-complex was chemically bonded to the exoskeleton modified by the silane coupling agent (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxy silane (APTMS). Compared with pure Eu3+-complexes, the fluorescence intensity of this hybrid material was increased by approximately 10 times. For illustrating its applications in the field of UV-protection, we mixed the USDU with polyacrylonitrile to produce flexible and transparent polymer films. The hybrid composite film (USDU@PAN) achieved partial absorption of ultraviolet light between 200 and 400 nm. At the same time, it also emits visible fluorescence and the intensity of the fluorescence is greatly increased. Therefore, the USDU@PAN film has wide application prospects in areas such as photoelectric sensors and UV-protection devices. More importantly, we transform natural organisms into materials with excellent optical properties. Therefore, it can be used in the field of UV-protection.
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- Muleke, Albert, et al.
(author)
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Sustainable intensification with irrigation raises farm profit despite climate emergency
- 2023
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In: Plants, People, Planet. - : Wiley. - 2572-2611. ; 5:3, s. 368-385
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Societal Impact StatementDespite comprising a small proportion of global agricultural land use, irrigated agriculture is enormously important to the global agricultural economy. Burgeoning food demand driven by population growth—together with reduced food supply caused by the climate crisis—is polarising the existing tension between water used for agricultural production versus that required for environmental conservation. We show that sustainable intensification via more diverse crop rotations, more efficient water application infrastructure and greater farm area under irrigation is conducive to greater farm business profitability under future climates.SummaryResearch aimed at improving crop productivity often does not account for the complexity of real farms underpinned by land-use changes in space and time.Here, we demonstrate how a new framework—WaterCan Profit—can be used to elicit such complexity using an irrigated case study farm with four whole-farm adaptation scenarios (Baseline, Diversified, Intensified and Simplified) with four types of irrigated infrastructure (Gravity, Pipe & Riser, Pivot and Drip).Without adaptation, the climate crisis detrimentally impacted on farm profitability due to the combination of increased evaporative demand and increased drought frequency. Whole-farm intensification—via greater irrigated land use, incorporation of rice, cotton and maize and increased nitrogen fertiliser application—was the only adaptation capable of raising farm productivity under future climates. Diversification through incorporation of grain legumes into crop rotations significantly improved profitability under historical climates; however, profitability of this adaptation declined under future climates. Simplified systems reduced economic risk but also had lower long-term economic returns.We conclude with four key insights: (1) When assessing whole-farm profit, metrics matter: Diversified systems generally had higher profitability than Intensified systems per unit water, but not per unit land area; (2) gravity-based irrigation infrastructure required the most water, followed by sprinkler systems, whereas Drip irrigation used the least water; (3) whole-farm agronomic adaptation through management and crop genotype had greater impact on productivity compared with changes in irrigation infrastructure; and (4) only whole-farm intensification was able to raise profitability under future climates.
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| 8. |
- Wei, Jianhua, et al.
(author)
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Genome and proteomic analysis of risk factors for fatal outcome in children with severe community-acquired pneumonia caused by human adenovirus 7
- 2023
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In: Journal of Medical Virology. - : WILEY. - 0146-6615 .- 1096-9071. ; 95:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: Human adenovirus 7 (HAdV-7) is an important viral pathogen of severe pneumonia in children and a serious threat to health. Methods: A cohort of 45 pediatric patients diagnosed with HAdV-7-associated severe pneumonia and admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from May 2018 to January 2020 were included. Risk factors of death were analyzed by the Cox proportional risk mode with Clinical data, serum, and nasopharyngeal aspirate adenovirus load, Genome analysis, Olink proteomics, and cytokine profile between dead and surviving patients were also analyzed. Results: A total of 45 children with a median age of 12.0 months (interquartile range [IQR]: 6.5, 22.0) were included (female 14), including 14 (31.1%) who died. High serum viral load was an independent risk factor for mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.16, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-4.49, p = 0.039). BTB and CNC homology 1 (BACH1), interleukin-5 (IL-5), and IL-9 levels were significantly correlated with serum viral load (p = 0.0400, 0.0499, and 0.0290; r = 0.4663, 0.3339, and -0.3700, respectively), with significant differences between the dead and survival groups (p = 0.021, 0.001, and 0.021). Conclusions: Severe cytokine storm-associated high serum viral load after HAdV-7 infection may be the main mechanism responsible for poor prognosis in children.
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| 9. |
- Yu, Xiaoshuang, et al.
(author)
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Organic Eu3+-complex-anchored porous diatomite channels enable UV protection and down conversion in hybrid material
- 2020
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In: Science and Technology of Advanced Materials. - : TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD. - 1468-6996 .- 1878-5514. ; 21:1, s. 726-736
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The organic Eu3+-complex [Eu(TTA)(3)Phen] has been incorporated into the channels of surface-modified frustules from diatoms as a key material to absorb and convert UV-photons to visible luminescence. Systematic investigation results indicate that the organic Eu3+-complex encapsulated in the functionalized diatomite channels exhibits enhanced luminescence and longer lifetime, owning to the Eu(TTA)(3)Phen complex interacting with its surrounding silylating agents. The organic Eu3+-complex-anchored porous diatomite hybrid luminescent material was compounded with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by using a mini-twin screw extruder to prepare a self-supporting film of the hybrid material. Besides, the UV absorption properties of the composite films were investigated. These films will potentially be related to the UV protection of photovoltaic devices.
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| 10. |
- Zhang, Xiaolin, et al.
(author)
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Non-conjugated natural alginate as electron-transport layer for high performance polymer solar cells after modification
- 2021
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In: Journal of Power Sources. - : ELSEVIER. - 0378-7753 .- 1873-2755. ; 510
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The search for the alternatives to expensive synthesized conjugated polymers as interfaces in polymer solar cells (PSCs), which could largely decrease the cost and promote the commercialization process of PSCs, is now highly relevant. To introduce natural polymer as the interface layer for the high-efficiency PSCs would be a potential choice. In this study, a purely natural polysaccharide from ocean without any conjugated structure, sodium alginate (SA), is utilized as efficient electron transport layer (ETL) to replace the conjugated star molecule, poly [(9,9-bis(3-(N,NdiMethyl)-NethylaMMoiniuM-propyl)-2,7-fluorene)-alt-2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene)]dibroMide (PFN-Br), and modify the aluminum (Al) electrode in conventional PSCs. The reduction of the work function of Al is successfully achieved by SA forming a dipole and keeping the ohmic contact at the interface. Meantime, the ideal charge transfer and exciton dissociation are realized, along with decreasing charge recombination, resulting in a comparable power conversion efficiency (PCE) with devices of PFN-Br as ETL. For poly([2,6-4,8-di(5-ethylhexylthienyebenzo[1,2-b; 3,3-b]dithiophene]3-fluoro-2[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4-b]thiophenediyl):[6,6]-phenyl-C-71-butyric acid methyl ester (PTB7-Th:PC71BM) system, PCE is increased to 9.5% and for Poly [(2,6-(4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl-3-fluoro)thiophen-2-yl)-benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b]dithio-phene))-alt-(5,5-(1,3-di-2-thienyl-5,7-bis(2-ethylhexyl)benzo[1,2-c:4,5-c]dithio-phene-4,8-dione)]:3,9-bis(2methylene-((3-(1,1-dicyanomethylene)-6,7-difluoro)-indanone))-5,5,11,11-tetrakis(4-hexylphenyl)-dithieno[2,3-d:2,3-d]-s-inda-ceno[1,2-b:5,6-b] dithiophene (PM6:IT-4F) system, PCE 13.4%, respectively, which illustrates a promising future for photovoltaic research of natural alginate non-conjugated polyelectrolyte in conventional PSCs.
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