A Doping Technique that Suppresses Undesirable H2 Evolution Derived from Overall Water Splitting in the Highly Selective Photocatalytic Conversion of CO2 in and by Water

Photocatalytic conversion of CO₂ to reduction products, such as CO, HCOOH, HCHO, CH₃OH, and CH₄, is one of the most attractive propositions for producing green energy by artificial photosynthesis. Herein, we found that Ga₂O₃ photocatalysts exhibit high conversion of CO₂. Doping of Zn species into Ga₂O₃ suppresses the H₂ evolution derived from overall water splitting and, consequently, Zn‐doped, Ag‐modified Ga₂O₃ exhibits higher selectivity toward CO evolution than bare, Ag‐modified Ga₂O₃. We observed stoichiometric amounts of evolved O₂ together with CO. Mass spectrometry clarified that the carbon source of the evolved CO is not the residual carbon species on the photocatalyst surface, but the CO₂ introduced in the gas phase. Doping of the photocatalyst with Zn is expected to ease the adsorption of CO₂ on the catalyst surface.     

Optical and fluorescence spectroscopy of Eu2O3-doped P2O5-K2O-KF-MO-Al2O3 (M = Mg, Sr and Ba) glasses

Fluorophosphate glasses of composition, P₂O₅ + K₂O + KF + MO + Al₂O₃ + xEu₂O₃ (M = Mg, Sr and Ba; x = 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 and 6.0 mol%) were prepared and characterized their optical properties. Crystal-field (CF) analysis revealed a relatively weak CF strength around Eu³⁺ ions in the Ba based fluorophosphate glasses. The Judd-Ofelt parameters have been estimated from the oscillator strengths of ⁷F₀ → ⁵D₂, ⁷F₀ → ⁵D₄ and ⁷F₀ → ⁵L₆ absorption transitions of Eu³⁺ ions and were used to evaluate the radiative properties of the ⁵D₀ → ⁷F_J (J = 0-4) transitions. Considerable variation has been observed in the relative intensity ratio of ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ to ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₁ transitions of Eu³⁺ ions due to change in the alkaline earth metal ions. The decay of the ⁵D₀ level shows single exponential and less sensitive to Eu³⁺ ions concentration as well as MgO/SrO/BaO modifiers.     

方解石棱镜分束角高度对称性的设计

研究ｏ、ｅ双输出棱镜分束角的对称性。指出经特殊设计的双渥拉斯顿棱镜产生的ｏ、ｅ光的分束角具有高度的对称性。     

Quantum Information Splitting Based on Current Cavity QED Techniques

We propose two schemes for quantum information splitting via W-class state. The first scheme is based on the interaction of single atom with single-mode field, while the second scheme is based on the simultaneous interaction of two atoms with single-mode cavity. For the first scheme, the difIiculty of two atoms required to be simultaneously sent through one cavity is avoid. For the second scheme, it is immune to thermal field. Both schemes are experimentally feasible based on current cavity QED techniques.     

Bipolar Electrochemistry Exfoliation of Layered Metal Chalcogenides Sb2S3 and Bi2S3 and their Hydrogen Evolution Applications

Efficient exfoliation and downsizing of Sb₂S₃ and Bi₂S₃ layered compounds by using scalable bipolar electrochemistry on their suspensions in aqueous media are here demonstrated. The resulting samples were characterized in detail by transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; their electrochemistry toward hydrogen evolution was also investigated. Hydrogen evolution ability of exfoliated Sb₂S₃ and Bi₂S₃ was investigated and compared to the bulk counterparts.     

Peculiarities of resonant interaction in paired impurity centers of 2-fluoronaphthalene in naphthalene

Abstract

Fluorescence and absorption spectra of the 2-fluoronaphthalene admixtures in naphthalene were studied at low temperature (T?=?4.2 К). Two types of pairwise impurity centers were formed at admixture concentrations of more than 1?wt%. Polarization of absorption bands was detected; these spectra were determined by resonance interactions between molecules of the impurity center. Resonant splitting of electronic levels for the translationally nonequivalent molecules in the unit cell of the naphthalene crystal was analyzed for the case, when one molecule was in the similar phase with the incident light wave and the other one was in antiphase.     

Acceptor-Doping Accelerated Charge Separation in Cu2O Photocathode for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting: Theoretical and Experimental Studies

Cu₂O is a typical photoelectrocatalyst for sustainable hydrogen production, while the fast charge recombination hinders its further development. Herein, Ni²⁺ cations have been doped into a Cu₂O lattice (named as Ni-Cu₂O) by a simple hydrothermal method and act as electron traps. Theoretical results predict that the Ni dopants produce an acceptor impurity level and lower the energy barrier of hydrogen evolution. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) measurements demonstrate that Ni-Cu₂O exhibits a photocurrent density of 0.83 mA cm⁻², which is 1.34 times higher than that of Cu₂O. And the photostability has been enhanced by 7.81 times. Moreover, characterizations confirm the enhanced light-harvesting, facilitated charge separation and transfer, prolonged charge lifetime, and increased carrier concentration of Ni-Cu₂O. This work provides deep insight into how acceptor-doping modifies the electronic structure and optimizes the PEC process.     

Interfacial Engineering FeOOH/CoO Nanoneedle Array for Efficient Overall Water Splitting Driven by Solar Energy

Interface engineering has been applied as an effective strategy to boost the electrocatalytic performance because of the strong coupling and synergistic effects between individual components. Here, we engineered vertically aligned FeOOH/CoO nanoneedle array with a synergistic interface between FeOOH and CoO on Ni foam (NF) by a simple impregnation method. The synthesized FeOOH/CoO exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic activity and stability for both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in an alkaline medium. For the overall water splitting, the bifunctional FeOOH/CoO nanoneedle catalyst requires only a cell voltage of 1.58 V to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm⁻², which is much lower than that required for IrO₂//Pt/C (1.68 V). The FeOOH/CoO catalyst has been successfully applied for solar cell-driven water electrolysis, revealing its great potential for commercial hydrogen production and solar energy storage.