Calcium-based coordination polymers from a solvothermal synthesis of HKUST-1 in 3D printed autoclaves

A mixed-metal 1D coordination polymer [CaCu(HBTC)₂(H2O)₈]_n (where H₃BTC – benzene-1,3,5-tric arboxylic acid) was obtained in a solvothermal synthesis of a well-known copper-containing metal–organic framework [Cu₃(BTC)₂(H₂O)₃]_n (HKUST-1) in autoclaves 3D-printed from commercial polypropylene. This material was a source of calcium ions, apparently, leaking from a colorant (calcium carbonate) promoted by glacial acetic acid as a modulator used to produce large single crystals of HKUST-1. This finding was confirmed by elemental analysis and a model experiment that resulted in a new calcium-based 1D coordination polymer [Ca(H₂BTC)₂(H₂O)₅]_n under the same solvothermal conditions with no copper or calcium salts put into a 3D-printed autoclave.     

Biohybrid Organic Heterostructure Based on Chlorophyll-Bacteriochlorophyll Aggregates for Ecofriendly Hydrogen Production

Hydrogen energy is an abundant, clean, sustainable and environmentally friendly renewable energy source. Therefore, the production of hydrogen by photocatalytically splitting water on semiconductors has been considered in recent years as a promising and sustainable strategy for converting solar energy into chemical energy to replace conventional energy sources and to solve the growing problem of environmental pollution and the global energy crisis. However, highly efficient solar-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production remains a huge challenge due to the poor visible light response of available photocatalytic materials and the low efficiency of separation and transfer of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. In the present work, organic heterojunction structures based on bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) and chlorophyll (Chl) molecules were introduced and used for solar-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production from water under visible light. Also, noble metal-free photocatalyst was successfully constructed on Ti₃C₂T_x nanosheets by simple successive deposition of Chl and BChl, which was used for the photocatalytic splitting water to hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The results show that the optimal BChl@Chl@Ti₃C₂T_x composite has a high HER performance with 114 μmol/h/g_cat, which is much higher than the BChl@Ti₃C₂T_x and Chl@Ti₃C₂T_x composites.     

微氧化烧结制备掺杂Y2O3的SiC陶瓷及含镉模拟废水处理

采用了微氧化烧结制备了不同Y₂O₃质量分数（0%、2%、4%、6%）的多孔SiC陶瓷，通过对陶瓷的晶体结构、微观形貌、物理性能和Cd²⁺的去除率测试发现：添加了Y₂O₃的SiC陶瓷出现了较多的第二相Y₂SiO₇、Y₅Si₃C_0.5，随着Y₂O₃的质量分数增加逐渐升高，主相的衍射峰的强度有降低。扫描电子显微镜测试发现，SiC陶瓷的尺寸在2.5 μm，Y₂O₃引入后，SiC陶瓷的晶粒尺寸降低，高温烧结时液相的含量增加，熔体粘度降低，晶粒结合更加紧密，Y₂O₃的引入提高了多孔陶瓷的体积密度，Y₂O₃质量分数为6%SiC的体积密度最大为2.21 g/cm³。热导率随着Y₂O₃质量分数的增加呈现出先升高后降低的趋势。金属Cd²⁺的过滤测试表明：随着Y₂O₃质量分数增加，Cd²⁺的残留质量浓度、膜通量和去除率先降低后升高，当掺杂质量分数为4%时，Cd²⁺残留质量浓度最低为0.042 mg/L，膜通量达到了最大值572 L/（m²·h），去除率最大为99.95%，相比未掺质量分数杂体系的去除率提高了0.14%。随着溶液pH值的逐渐增大，金属Cd²⁺的残留质量浓度逐渐降低、去除率逐渐升高，pH≥9时最终均趋于稳定。综合来看，多孔SiC陶瓷的助烧剂Y₂O₃最佳掺量为4%。     

New thieno[3,2-b]indole conjugates with 5-(methylene)rhodanine-3-acetic acid in dye-sensitized solar cells

Five new dyes with D–π–A structure bearing 5-(methylene)-rhodanine-3-acetic acid as an acceptor-anchoring part and thieno[3,2-b]indole or benzo[g]thieno[3,2-b]indole as an electron-donating part were synthesized and applied as photosensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In addition, thermal stability, optical and electrochemical properties of these dyes were investigated. The highest PCE value of 1.09% (J_sc = 3.01 mA cm^–2, V_oc = 0.53 V, FF = 0.69) was achieved for DSSC based on benzo[g]thieno[3,2-b]indole dye under AM 1.5G irradiation.     

On the derivation of the entropy of ideal quantum gases confined in a three-dimensional harmonic potential

In this work,the entropy functions of ideal quantum gases in a three-dimensional harmonic trap are analytically calculated using temperature as an explicit variable.Afterward,the applicability of the analytical formulas is validated by comparison with the numerical calculation.The results illustrate that the obtained functions could be applied for the whole temperature regime with a maximum relative deviation of less than 7.5%in the vicinity of the critical temperature Tcin the case of Bose gases.Meanwhile,for Fermi gases,although the analytical formula fits well at very low-and high-temperature regimes,it cannot be applied at temperature in the range[0.3-0.5]T_F,where T_F is the Fermi temperature.In addition,the consistency between our formulas and classical ones at significantly high temperatures is also discussed.     

Highly efficient and metal-free synthesis of tri- and tetrasubstituted imidazole catalyzed by 3-picolinic acid

3-Picolinic acid is an efficient organo-catalyst for a one-pot three-component synthesis of 2,4,5-triaryl substituted imidazole. Moreover, the utility of this catalyst has been extended to the four-component synthesis of 1,2,4,5-tetra-substituted imidazole. The pivotal advantages of this process are easy purification, cost-effectiveness, and high yielding, above all environmentally benign protocol.     

不同晶体结构Gd2(MoO4)3:Eu3+荧光粉的合成及其发光性能研究

采用溶胶凝胶-燃烧法,柠檬酸为络合剂合成出系列Gd₂(MoO₄)₃:Eu³⁺荧光粉.利用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和荧光光谱对样品的结构、形貌和发光性能进行了研究.XRD分析表明:稀土离子与柠檬酸为1:0.5时,800℃热处理获得单斜结构的Gd₂(MoO₄)₃:Eu³⁺荧光粉.单斜结构的Gd₂(MoO₄)₃:Eu³⁺荧光粉到正交结构的Gd₂(MoO₄)₃:Eu³⁺荧光粉的转换可以通过改变稀土离子与柠檬酸摩尔比和热处理温度等合成条件实现.Gd₂(MoO₄)₃:Eu³⁺荧光粉的形貌受合成条件的影响.荧光光谱研究表明:Gd₂(MoO₄)₃:Eu³⁺荧光粉的主发射峰位于616 nm处来自于Eu³⁺的⁵D₀→⁷F₂电偶极跃迁.正交结构的Gd₂(MoO₄)₃:Eu³⁺荧光粉发射强度明显高于单斜结构的荧光粉.计算⁵D₀→⁷F₂与⁵D₀→⁷F₁跃迁发射的相对强度比值表明:正交结构的Gd₂(MoO₄)₃:Eu³⁺中Eu³⁺局域环境的对称性较高。     

Hydrogeochemical modeling for groundwater management in arid and semiarid regions using MODFLOW and MT3DMS: A case study of the Jeffara of Medenine coastal aquifer,South-Eastern Tunisia

The study of water quality and the quantification of reserves and their variations according to natural and anthropogenic forcing is necessary to establish an adequate management plan for groundwater resources. For this purpose, a modeling approach is a useful tool that allows, after calibration phase and verification of simulation, and under different scenarios of forcing and operational changes, to estimate and control the groundwater quantity and quality. The main objective of this study is to collect all available data in a model that simulates the Jeffara of Medenine coastal aquifer system functioning. To achieve this goal, a conceptual model was constructed based on previous studies and hydrogeological investigations. The regional groundwater numerical flow model for the Jeffara aquifer was developed using MODFLOW working under steady-state and transient conditions. Groundwater elevations measured from the piezometric wells distributed throughout the study area in 1973 were selected as the target water levels for steady state (head) model calibration. A transient simulation was undertaken for the 42 years from 1973 to 2015. The historical transient model calibration was satisfactory, consistent with the continuous piezometric decline in response to the increase in groundwater abstraction. The developed numerical model was used to study the system's behavior over the next 35 years under various constraints. Two scenarios for potential groundwater extraction for the period 2015–2050 are presented. The predictive simulations show the effect of the increase of the exploitation on the piezometric levels. To study the phenomenon of salinization, which is one of the most severe and widespread groundwater contamination problems, especially in coastal regions, a solute transport model has been constructed by using MT3DMS software coupled with the groundwater flow model. The best calibration results are obtained when the connection with the overlying superficial aquifer is considered suggesting that groundwater contamination originates from this aquifer. Recommendations for water resource managers

• The results of this study show that Groundwater resources of Jeffara of Medenine coastal aquifer in Tunisia are under immense pressure from multiple stresses.
• The water resources manager must consider the impact of economic and demographic development in groundwater management to avoid the intrusion of saline water.
• The results obtained presented some reference information that can serve as a basis for water resources planning.
• The model runs to provide information that managers can use to regulate and adequately control the Jeffara of Medenine water resources.

     

A periodic DFT study on adsorption of small molecules(CH4,CO,H2O,H2S,NH3)on the WO3(001) surface-supported Au

Gas molecules(such as CH4,CO,H2O,H2S,NH_3)adsorption on the pure and Au-doped WO3(001)surface have been studied by Density functional theory calculations with generalized gradient approximation.Based on the the calculation of adsorption energy,we found the most stable adsorption site for gas molecules by comparing the adsorption energies of different gas molecules on the WO3(001)surface.We have also compared the adsorption energy of five different gas molecules on the WO3(001)surface,our calculation results show that when the five kinds of gases are adsorbed on the pure WO3(001)surface,the order of the surface adsorption energy is CO>H2S>CH4>H2O>NH3.And the results show that NH3 is the most easily adsorbed gas among the other four gases adsorbed on the surface of pure WO3(001)surface.We also calculated the five different gases on the Au-doped WO3(001)surface.The order of adsorption energy was found to be different from the previous calculation:CO>CH4>H2S>H2O>NH3.These results provide a new route for the potential applications of Au-doped WO3 in gas molecules adsorption.