Self-supported metal sulphide nanocrystals-assembled nanosheets on carbon paper as efficient counter electrodes for quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells

Developing efficient counter electrodes (CEs) and quantum dots made of earth-abundant and non-toxic elements is essential but still challenging for quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs). Here, we report a facile strategy to prepare self-supported and robust CoS₂ and NiS nanocrystals-assembled nanosheets directly grown on carbon paper (MSx NS@CP) as efficient counter electrodes for QDSSCs. Such CEs integrate the merits of fast electron transfer from interconnected conductive scaffold, efficient mass transfer from hierarchically vertical nanosheet on 3D open substrate, as well as abundant highly active catalytic sites from metal sulphide nanocrystal units. As a result, QDDSCs based on such CoS₂ NS@CP and NiS NS@CP CEs achieve a PCE of 8.88% and 7.53%, respectively. The detailed analyses suggest that CoS₂ NS@CP has the highest catalytic activity and shows the lowest charger transfer resistance, leading to the highest PCE. These findings may inspire the design and exploration of other self-supported efficient CEs by integrating highly active catalysts onto 3D conductive networks for efficient QDSSCs.     

Advantageous Interfacial Effects of AgPd/g-C3N4 for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution: Electronic Structure and H2O Dissociation

Bimetallic AgPd nanoparticles have been synthesized before, but the interfacial electronic effects of AgPd on the photocatalytic performance have been investigated less. In this work, the results of hydrogen evolution suggest that the bimetallic AgPd/g-C₃N₄ sample has superior activity to Ag/g-C₃N₄ and Pd/g-C₃N₄ photocatalysts. The UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, CO adsorption diffuse reflectance FTIR spectroscopy, and FTIR results demonstrate that in the AgPd/g-C₃N₄, the surface electronic structures of Pd and Ag are changed, which is beneficial for faster photogenerated electron transfer and greater H₂O molecule adsorption. In situ ESR spectra suggest that, under visible light irradiation, there is more H₂O dissociation to radical species on the AgPd/g-C₃N₄ photocatalyst. Furthermore, DFT calculations confirm the interfacial electronic effects of AgPd/g-C₃N₄, that is, Pd^δ−⋅⋅⋅Ag^δ+, and the activation energy of H₂O molecule dissociation on AgPd/g-C₃N₄ is the lowest, which is the main contributor to the enhanced photocatalytic H₂ evolution.     

A simple method for extracting both active oily and water soluble extract (WSE) from Nigella sativa (L.) seeds using a single solvent system

The current study provides a way of extraction for both active NSO and WSE from Nigella sativa seeds using 98% methanol. About 1?kg of ground seeds was macerated by 1:2.5 w/v (g/mL) for 72?hours. After rotary evaporation and 7 days of continuous drying and chilling at 50 and 4?°C, NSO and WSE were obtained at the same instant. Solubility tests of 24 solvents and 11 thin layer chromatographic analyses while 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging assay of NSO (73.66) , WSE (33.32) and NSO?+?WSE (78.22) against ascorbic acid (IC50?=?4.28?mg/mL) was performed. WSE was found to be highly soluble in water and 5% NaOH exhibiting the same Rf value of 0.95 for EtOH:DMSO (9:1) against the honey. WSE has revealed more than twofold higher anti-oxidant activity than others. Formulation of WSE with Tualang honey may provide better targeted hydrophilic drug delivery systems.     

Synthesis,DNA-binding,molecular docking and cytotoxic activity in vitro evaluation of ruthenium(II) complexes

Transition Metal Chemistry - Five new ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes [Ru(N–N)2(BTCP)](ClO4)2 (BTCP?=?2-(bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-en-2-yl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline;...     

A New Planar Hexanuclear Dysprosium Cluster Exhibiting Slow Magnetic Relaxation Features

Reaction of the Schiff base ligand H₂L and dysprosium acetate result in a new planar Dy₆ cluster [Dy₆(μ₃‐OH)L₆(Ac)₆] · MeOH ( 1 ) [H₂L = N'‐(2‐hydroxybenzylidene)‐2‐(hydroxyimino)propanohydrazide, HAc = acetic acid], which was successfully structurally and magnetically characterized. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis revealed that 1 contained a hexanuclear dysprosium cluster [Dy₆], which is composed of four Dy₃ triangular units. Magnetic measurements suggest that 1 displays single‐molecule magnet (SMM) behavior which is enhanced by applying a 4000 Oe direct‐current field. The effective anisotropic barrier U_eff/k_B = 14.9 K and the pre‐exponential factor τ₀ = 1.31 × 10^–6 s are also obtained. This work may provide more insights for the design and investigation of lanthanide‐based SMMs.     

Surface modification of hollow microsphere Li1.2Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 cathode by coating with CoAl2O4

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Li1.2Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 was synthesized as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries and coated with various amounts of CoAl2O4 (0–5 wt%)...     

A new MnxOy/carbon nanorods derived from bimetallic Zn/Mn metal–organic framework as an efficient oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalyst for alkaline Zn-Air batteries

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In this work, nanorods like bimetallic Zn/Mn metal–organic-frameworks (MOFs) are proposed as the precursor for preparing MnxOy/porous carbon...     

Ultra‐Tough Inverse Artificial Nacre Based on Epoxy‐Graphene by Freeze‐Casting

Epoxy nanocomposites combining high toughness with advantageous functional properties are needed in many fields. However, fabricating high‐performance homogeneous epoxy nanocomposites with traditional methods remains a great challenge. Nacre with outstanding fracture toughness presents an ideal blueprint for the development of future epoxy nanocomposites. Now, high‐performance epoxy‐graphene layered nanocomposites were demonstrated with ultrahigh toughness and temperature‐sensing properties. These nanocomposites are composed of ca. 99 wt % organic epoxy, which is in contrast to the composition of natural nacre (ca. 96 wt % inorganic aragonite). These nanocomposites are named an inverse artificial nacre. The fracture toughness reaches about 4.2 times higher than that of pure epoxy. The electrical resistance is temperature‐sensitive and stable under various humidity conditions. This strategy opens an avenue for fabricating high‐performance epoxy nanocomposites with functional properties.     

基于QSAR模型的有机磷化合物毒性预测

随着有机磷化合物(OPs)的广泛应用,其在越来越多的环境介质中被检测出来。大多数OPs具有毒性,但人们缺乏快速且有效的预测手段来对毒性进行评估。本文将结合E-Dragon软件计算的分子描述符,采用不同的QSAR模型对36个OPs的毒性进行预测。文中采用后退法作为描述符筛选方法,以均方根误差(RMSE)作为评价标准,共找到14个对线性核函数支持向量机(SVM)模型贡献较大的描述符;在最终得到的SVM模型交叉验证结果中,计算值与实际值的相关系数为0. 913,均方根误差为0. 388;外部测试验证结果中,平均相对误差为9. 10%。此外,采用多元线性回归(MLR)、人工神经网络(ANN)以及偏最小二乘回归(PLS)模型对OPs的毒性进行预测,交叉验证结果显示,三个模型的计算值与实际值的相关系数分别为0. 878、0. 686与0. 620,没有SVM模型的预测能力好。因此采用线性核函数的SVM模型对OPs进行毒性预测是一个行之有效的方法。