First-principles study on the crystal, electronic structure and mechanical properties of hexagonal Al3RE (RE = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd) intermetallic compounds

The structural properties, elastic properties and electronic structures of hexagonal Al₃RE intermetallic compounds are calculated by using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. Since there exists strong on-site Coulomb repulsion between the highly localized 4f electrons of RE atoms, we present a combination of the GGA and the LSDA+U approaches in order to obtain the appropriate results. The GGA calculated lattice constants for the hexagonal Al₃RE intermetallic compounds are in good agreement with available experimental values. The results of cohesive energy indicate that these compounds can be stable under absolute zero Kelvin and the stability of Al₃Gd is the strongest in all of the hexagonal Al₃RE compounds. The densities of states for GGA and LSDA+U approaches are also obtained for the Al₃RE intermetallic compounds. The mechanical properties are calculated from the GGA method in this paper. According to the computed single crystal elastic constants, Al₃La, Al₃Sm and Al₃Gd are mechanically unstable, while Al₃Ce, Al₃Pr and Al₃Nd are stable. The polycrystalline elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio have been deduced by using Voigt-Reuss-Hill (VRH) approximations, and the calculated ratio of bulk modulus to shear modulus indicates that Al₃La compound is ductile material, but Al₃Ce, Al₃Pr, Al₃Nd, Al₃Sm and Al₃Gd are brittle materials.     

Characterization and activity of visible-light-driven TiO2 photocatalyst codoped with lanthanum and iodine

The novel visible-light-activated La/I/TiO₂ nanocomposition photocatalyst was successfully synthesized using precipitation-dipping method, and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS). The photocatalytic activity of La/I/TiO₂ was evaluated by studying photodegradation of reactive blue 19 as a probe reaction under simulated sunlight irradiation. Photocatalytic experiment results showed that the maximum specific photocatalytic activity of the La/I/TiO₂ photocatalyst appeared when the molar ratio of La/Ti was 2.0 at%, calcined at 350 °C for 2 h, due to the sample with good crystallization, high BET surface area and small crystal size. Under simulated sunlight irradiation, the degradation of reactive blue 19 aqueous solution reached 98.6% in 80 min, which showed La/I/TiO₂ photocatalyst to be much higher photocatalytic activity compared to standard Degussa P25 photocatalyst. The higher visible light activity is due to the codoping of lanthanum and iodine.     

Development of long-life-cycle tablet ceramic adsorbent for geosmin removal from water solution

In this study, the tablet ceramic adsorbent (TCA), a silica/iron(III) oxide composite material, has been developed for geosmin (GSM) removal from the water solution. The physicochemical characteristics of TCA were examined with XRD, SEM, EDX and BET analyses. The sorption characteristics of GSM on TCA were investigated in a batch system. Attempts have been made to understand the adsorption kinetics, the effect of initial GSM concentration, solution pH, and reaction time.The batch experiments equilibrium data were well fitted to the Lagergren kinetic equation, which indicate the first-order nature adsorption. Over 82% of the GSM was removed by the TCA within 600 min at an initial concentration of 200 ng/L with 20 g/L of TCA dose. The batch and regeneration study indicated that the TCA is a cost-effective GSM adsorbent with sufficient mechanical strength to retain its physical integrity after long-time adsorption, and high regeneration performance for long-life-cycle application. Almost no second contamination (toxic sludge or leached iron) was observed after adsorption, and the gas resultant of thermal regeneration is harmless to atmospheric environment.     

Two-dimensional self-assembly of esters with different configurations at the liquid-solid interface

Self-assembled monolayers of hexadecyl palmitate (HP) and 3,3′-thiodipropionic acid di-n-octadecyl ester (TADE) physisorbed on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) are investigated using scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and computer simulation. Both molecules form alkane-like linear shapes to maximize the interactions with substrate when they adsorb on HOPG surface. The HP molecules self-assemble into lamellae with the chain-trough angle of 48°, which is the result of a shifting 3/2 units from the adjacent molecule in a lamella. Based on the simulation insights combined with STM images, we confirm that a perpendicular orientation appears in which the HP molecular backbone is rotated 90° with respect to the substrate such that the carbonyl points away from the HOPG surface. TADE molecules form three kinds of configurations with chain-trough angles of 90°, 72° and 60° by shifting 0, 1/2 and 1 units from their adjacent molecules, respectively. The bright stripes in STM images reveal the electron density distribution of the part between two ester groups. The energy differences of three TADE adsorption configurations by molecular mechanics (MM) simulation are used to explain the structural coexistence phenomenon. It is also shown that lattice match between alkyl chain of molecules and HOPG substrate could change molecular conformation upon self-assembly.     

Adsorption and dissociation of O2 on the Cu2O(1 1 1) surface: Thermochemistry, reaction barrier

The adsorption and dissociation of O₂ on the perfect and oxygen-deficient Cu₂O(1 1 1) surface have been systematically studied using periodic density functional calculations. Different kinds of possible modes of atomic O and molecular O₂ adsorbed on the Cu₂O(1 1 1) surface are identified: atomic O is found to prefer threefold 3Cu site on the perfect surface and O_vacancy site on the deficient surface, respectively. Cu_CUS is the most advantageous site with molecularly adsorbed O₂ lying flatly over singly coordinate Cu_CUS-Cu_CSA bridge on the perfect surface. O₂ adsorbed dissociatively on the deficient surface, which is the main dissociation pathway of O₂, and a small quantity of molecularly adsorbed O₂ has been obtained. Further, possible dissociation pathways of molecularly adsorbed O₂ on the Cu₂O(1 1 1) surface are explored, the reaction energies and relevant barriers show that a small quantity of molecularly adsorbed O₂ dissociation into two O atoms on the deficient surface is favorable both thermodynamically and kinetically in comparison with the dissociation of O₂ on the perfect surface. The calculated results suggest that the presence of oxygen vacancy exhibits a strong chemical reactivity towards the dissociation of O₂ and can obviously improve the catalytic activity of Cu₂O, which is in agreement with the experimental observation.     

插层三元铁硒超导体的电子结构和磁性质的理论研究

最近发现的插层三元铁硒超导体AyFexSe2（A=K,Rb,Cs和/或Tl）显示诸多新颖现象.为了澄清这些现象,作者分别计算了没有铁空位的基于完整四方FeSe层的AFe2Se2,含有四分之一铁空位的4×2或2×2超结构的AFe1.5Se2,以及含有五分之一铁空位的槡5×槡5超结构的A0.8Fe1.6Se2三种情况下的电子结构和相应的磁构型,发现AFe2Se2是双共线反铁磁的半金属,而AFe1.5Se2和A0.8Fe1.6Se2则是分别具有数十和数百毫电子伏特能隙的反铁磁半导体,并分别处于共线反铁磁长程序和区块化棋盘反铁磁长程序中.作者还分析和讨论了AyFexSe2的这些基本电子结构可能对超导性质的影响.     

作物残茬覆盖度遥感监测研究进展

作物残茬作为农田生态系统的重要组成部分,影响着农田生态系统中的营养物质、碳、水和能量的流动与循环。作物残茬覆盖度作为描述作物残茬数量和分布的重要指标,对于农田生态系统C循环和全球气候变化均有实际意义,具备重要的定量监测价值。遥感技术具有准确、经济、快速大面积监测的能力,因此利用遥感监测区域尺度的作物残茬覆盖度,受到国内外学者的关注。工作回顾总结了目前利用遥感监测作物残茬覆盖度的主要方法和最新研究进展,并根据基本方法的差异以及数据源的不同,从五个类别分别介绍了遥感监测原理与技术革新,对每一类方法的优点和缺陷进行分析,并提出了相应的改进措施。最后对作物残茬覆盖度遥感监测方法的发展趋势进行了展望。     

X-Y振镜扫描式舌诊高光谱采集系统

针对目前舌诊研究中在舌体信息全面获取方面存在严重不足,将高光谱技术用到舌诊的研究中来,提出了一种基于X-Y振镜扫描式舌诊高光谱采集系统.通过模拟实验,采集与舌体大小相似图片的高光谱信息,验证了该系统可以用于舌体高光谱信息采集,实验结果表明,与现有舌诊客观化研究相比,该系统可以获得更多的舌体信息,为舌诊客观化研究提供了一...     

南极海洋芳香烃低温降解微生物的拉曼光谱分析

激光镊子拉曼光谱技术可以实现在自然状态下对单个细胞或细胞器较长时间的观察研究.应用激光镊子拉曼光谱技术实时观察南极微生物低温降解芳香烃过程中单个南极细菌的细胞生长和胞内生物大分子的动态变化过程,收集、分析其拉曼光谱,结果发现:单细胞的拉曼光谱反映了其细胞内部的生命物质组成,南极动球菌 NJ41 和希瓦氏菌 NJ49 生...