Enhancement of Photocatalytic Activity for Hydrogen Production by Surface Modification of Pt-TiO2 Nanoparticles with a Double Layer of Photosensitizers

To investigate the effect of the surface structure of dye-sensitized photocatalyst nanoparticles, we prepared three types of Ru^II-photosensitizer (PS)-double-layered Pt-cocatalyst-loaded TiO₂ nanoparticles with different surface structures, Zr- RuCP⁶ -Zr- RuP⁶ @N wt %Pt-TiO₂, RuCP⁶ -Zr- RuP⁶ @N wt %Pt-TiO₂, and RuCP² -Zr- RuP⁶ @N wt %Pt-TiO₂ (N=0.2, 1, and 5), and evaluated their photocatalytic H₂ evolution activity in the presence of redox-reversible iodide as the electron donor. Although the driving force of the electron injection from I⁻ to the photo-oxidized Ru^III PS is comparable, the activity increased in the following order: RuCP² -Zr- RuP⁶ @1 wt %Pt-TiO₂ < RuCP⁶ -Zr- RuP⁶ @1 wt %Pt-TiO₂ < Zr- RuCP⁶ -Zr- RuP⁶ @1 wt %Pt-TiO₂. The apparent quantum yield of Zr- RuCP⁶ -Zr- RuP⁶ @1 wt %Pt-TiO₂ in the first hour reached 1 %. Zeta-potential measurements suggest that the surface Zr⁴⁺-phosphate groups attracted I⁻ anions to the nanoparticle–solution interface. Our results indicate that the surface modification of dye-sensitized photocatalysts is a promising approach to enhance photocatalytic activity with various redox mediators.     

Regulating Phase Junction and Oxygen Vacancies of TiO2 Nanoarrays for Boosted Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation

In this study, we have provided a facile solution to synthesize well-aligned titanium dioxide nanorods by using hydrothermal reaction. By calcining the materials under different atmospheres and temperatures, a batch of titanium dioxides with excellent oxygen evolution reaction(OER) catalytic efficiency were obtained. This new structured TiO₂ photoanode material yields a high photocurrent density of 5.69 mA/cm² at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE) under simulated solar light(100 mW/cm²). Surface photovoltage techniques and other measurements were carried out to confirm that the enhanced photoelectrochemical performances were attributed to the synergistic effect of the phase junction and a certain content of surface states, which accelerate the separation and transmission of the photogenerated charges. This material with phase junction and surface states promises a potential application in the field of photoelectric catalysis under solar light.     

Sample plug induced peak splitting in capillary electrophoresis studied using dual backscattered interferometry and fluorescence detection

The appearance of unexpected peaks in capillary electrophoresis (CE) is common and can lengthen the time of method development as assay conditions and experimental parameters are varied to understand and mitigate the effects of the additional peaks. Additional peaks can arise when a single-analyte zone is split into multiple zones. Understanding the underlying mechanism of these phenomena, recognizing conditions that favor its presence, and knowing how to confirm and eliminate the effect are important for efficient method optimization. In this study, we examine how the overlap of analyte zones with the sample plug can lead to peak splitting. This is explored experimentally using dual detection CE, which enables both the sample plug and analyte zones to be independently and simultaneously measured from the same detection volume. Simulations performed via COMSOL Multiphysics confirm the origin of the splitting and help guide experiments to reduce and eliminate the effect. Our findings show that this peak splitting mechanism can arise in separations of both small and large molecules but is, especially, prevalent in separations of slowly migrating macromolecules. This effect is also more prevalent when using a short length-to-detector, as is commonly found in microfluidic applications. A simple diffusion-less model is introduced to develop strategies for reducing peak splitting that avoids modifying the apparatus, such as by lengthening the separation length, which can be difficult. Decreasing the sample plug length and slowing the electroosmotic flow can both reduce this effect, which is confirmed experimentally.     

Z型CdIn2S4/ZnSnO3异质结的构筑及其光催化产氢性能

通过高温煅烧ZnSn(OH)₆前驱体制备了双壳中空立方体结构的ZnSnO₃(ZSO),进而采用水热法将CdIn₂S₄(CIS)纳米晶包裹在ZSO表面,成功制备了CdIn₂S₄/ZnSnO₃(CIS/ZSO)异质催化剂。活性产氢实验结果表明,CIS、ZSO物质的量之比为12%时制备的12% CIS/ZSO具有优异的光催化产氢性能,在3 h内产氢量为1 676.48 μmol·g^-1,分别是ZSO和CIS的12倍和8倍。ZSO光催化析氢反应活性的增强归因于CIS/ZSO异质结构的成功构建,异质界面的形成显著提高了光生电子/空穴对的分离效率,降低了其复合率。通过对电荷转移路径的分析,提出了可能的反应机理。     

Experimental strategy of the spectrophotometric approach using freeze-drying for PO43− determination in frozen and chilled chickens in the Saudi Arabia market

Herein, an efficient analytical method based on an extraction protocol was developed and validated for the spectrophotometric detection of phosphate (PO₄^3?) in chilled and frozen chicken samples. The preparation was a very simple sample that included freeze-drying, extraction with acidified amino acids and filtration of the final extract prior to spectrophotometric analysis. FT-IR spectrum of CS1 was confirmed that the selected solvent has successfully extracted PO₄^3? from the chilled chicken sample. Analytical performances were assessed in chilled of one of the merchant species and showed good recoveries with relative standard deviations (RSD) below 2%. The analytical validation parameters of the method in terms of limit of quantification (LOQ) and detection (LOD) were calculated and found to be 0.10 and 0.032 mg/L, respectively. This protocol has been effectively applied to PO₄^3? determination in chicken samples collected from Saudi supermarkets (Northern KSA), and PO₄^3? in all frozen samples was detected at high mg/kg levels ranging from 2.11 × 10⁴ to 2.90 × 10⁴ mg/kg, while in limit levels of PO₄^3? concentration were detected in the chilled samples except chilled sample 1 (CS1), which was 2.22 × 10⁴ mg/kg. The extraction and determination protocol suggested that this developed method could be validated for routine monitoring of PO₄^3? in food quality control laboratories and safety monitoring.     

Tuning the Composition and Structure of Ni@MoC Nanosheets for Highly Active and Stable Electrocatalysis in Water Splitting

The conventional electrolytic water-splitting process for hydrogen production is plagued by high energy consumption, low efficiency, and the requirement of expensive catalysts. Therefore, finding effective, affordable, and stable catalysts to drive this reaction is urgently needed. We report a nanosheet catalyst composed of carbon nanotubes encapsulated with MoC/Mo₂C, the Ni@MoC-700 nanosheet showcases low overpotentials of 275 mV for the oxygen evolution reaction and 173 mV for the hydrogen evolution reaction at a current density of 10 mA ⋅ cm⁻². Particularly noteworthy is its outstanding performance in a two-electrode system, where a cell potential of merely 1.64 V is sufficient to achieve the desired current density of 10 mA ⋅ cm⁻². Furthermore, the catalyst demonstrates exceptional durability, maintaining its activity over a continuous operation of 40 hours with only minimal attenuation in overpotential. These outstanding activity levels and long-term stability unequivocally highlight the promising potential of the Ni@MoC-700 catalyst for large-scale water-splitting applications.     

Facile synthesis of spherical covalent organic frameworks for enrichment and quantification of aryl organophosphate esters in mouse serum and tissues

Here, an imine-linked-based spherical covalent organic framework (COF) was prepared at room temperature. The as-synthesized spherical COF served as an adsorbent in dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE), by its virtue of great surface area (1542.68 m²/g), regular distribution of pore size (2.95 nm), and excellent stability. Therefore, a simple and high-efficiency dispersive solid phase extraction method based on a spherical COF coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was established to determine aryl organophosphate esters in biological samples. This approach displayed favorable linearity in the range of 10.0–1000.0 ng/L (r > 0.9989), a high signal enhancement factor (58.8–181.8 folds) with low limits of detection (0.3–3.3 ng/L). Moreover, it could effectively eliminate complex matrix interference to accurately extract seven aryl organophosphate esters from mouse serum and tissue samples with spiked recoveries of 82.0%–117.4%. The as-synthesized spherical COF has been successfully applied in sample preparation. The dSPE-HPLC-MS/MS method based on a spherical COF has potential application to study the pollutants' metabolism in vivo.     

氟化铵快速分解－电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定地球化学样品中的稀土元素

测定地球化学样品中的微量稀土元素常用混酸分解法或碱熔融法,这些常规方法往往存在耗费试剂量多、基体效应大、操作周期长等缺点。本文采用氟化铵作熔剂,在旋盖聚四氟乙烯坩埚中220℃熔融样品,后采用2毫升硝酸和0.5毫升高氯酸、硫酸（1+1）在电热板上继续分解,建立了氟化铵分解 －电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定岩石、土壤和水系沉积物中15种微量稀土元素的分析方法。本方法能快速、有效地分解样品,经三种国家标准物质验证（岩石、土壤、水系沉积物）,方法的准确度ΔlgC在0.001～0.02之间,测定值与认定值相符。方法检出限为0.001～0.04μg／g之间,精密度RSD%在1.11％ ～4.85％之间,能够满足微量稀土元素的分析要求,方法具有简单快捷、消耗试剂少、检出限低、精密度与准确度好等特点,适合于地球化学等地质样品微量稀土元素的批量快速分析测定。     

地质环境样品中挥发酚分析现状与进展

挥发酚被列为环境优先控制的有机污染物,已成为评价环境污染的重要指标之一。该文简述了挥发酚的化学性质及地质环境来源,概括了国内外挥发酚测定的相关标准方法,从样品预处理技术和检测技术两方面综述了近年来地质环境样品中挥发酚分析的研究现状。重点对溶剂萃取、蒸馏、固相萃取、固相微萃取和吹扫捕集等样品预处理技术,以及4-氨基安替比林分光光度法、紫外和荧光分光光度法、溴化容量法、气相色谱法、液相色谱法和酚生物传感器法等技术在地质环境样品中挥发酚分析上的应用进行了较为全面的总结,并对其未来的发展趋势进行了展望,为进一步研究挥发酚的分析技术及其环境应用提供参考。