Photocatalytic removal of heavy metal ions and antibiotics in agricultural wastewater:A review

In recent years,the treatment of agricultural wastewater has been an important aspect of environmental protection.The purpose of photocatalytic technology is to degrade pollutants by utilizing solar light energy to stimulate the migration of photocarriers to the surface of photocatalysts and occur reduction-oxidation reaction with pollutants in agricultural wastewater.Photocatalytic technology has the characteristics of high efficiency,sustainability,low-energy and free secondary pollution.It is an environmental and economical method to recover water quality that only needs sunlight.In this paper,the mechanism and research progress of photocatalytic removal of heavy metal ions and antibiotics from agricultural water pollution were reviewed by combining photocatalytic degradation process with agricultural treatment technology.The mechanism of influencing factors of photocatalytic degradation efficiency was discussed in detail and corresponding strategies were proposed,which has certain reference value for the development of photocatalytic degradation.

Realizing super-long Cu_2O nanowires arrays for high-efficient water splitting applications with a convenient approach

Nanowire(NW) structures is an alternative candidate for constructing the next generation photoelectrochemical water splitting system, due to the outstanding optical and electrical properties. NW photoelectrodes comparing to traditional semiconductor photoelectrodes shows the comparatively shorter transfer distance of photo-induced carriers and the increase amount of the surface reaction sites, which is beneficial for lowering the recombination probability of charge carriers and improving their photoelectrochemical(PEC) performances. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that super-long Cu_2O NWs, more than 4.5 μm,with highly efficient water splitting performance, were synthesized using a cost-effective anodic alumina oxide(AAO) template method. In comparison with the photocathode with planar Cu_2O films, the photocathode with Cu_2O NWs demonstrates a significant enhancement in photocurrent, from –1.00 to –2.75 mA/cm^2 at –0.8 V versus Ag/AgCl. After optimization of the photoelectrochemical electrode through depositing Pt NPs with atomic layer deposition(ALD) technology on the Cu_2O NWs, the plateau of photocurrent has been enlarged to –7 mA/cm^2 with the external quantum yield up to 34% at 410 nm. This study suggests that the photoelectrode based on Cu_2O NWs is a hopeful system for establishing high-efficiency water splitting system under visible light.

Enhancement of photoelectrochemical performance in ferroelectric films via the introduction of an Au buffer layer

The inefficient separation of photogenerated carriers has become a serious problem that limits the photoelectrochemical(PEC)performance of semiconductors.Herein,a sol-gel method was used to prepare BiFeO_(3) ferroelectric thin films with FTO and FTO/Au as substrates,respectively.The polarization electric field of the ferroelectric can more effectively separate the carriers generated in the photoelectrode.Meanwhile,the introduction of an Au buffer layer can reduce the resistance in the process of charge transfer,accelerate the carrier migration,and enhance the efficiency of the charge separation.Under light irradiation,Au/BiFeO_(3) photoelectrode exhibited an extraordinary improvement in PEC water splitting compared with BiFeO_(3).In addition,the ferroelectric polarization electric field causes band bending,which further accelerates the separation of electrons and holes and improves the PEC performance of the photoelectrode.This work promotes the effective application of ferroelectric films in PEC water splitting.

Associations of Ambient NO2 with Daily Hospitalization,Hospitalization Expenditure and Length of Hospital Stay of Cause-Specific Respiratory Diseases-Shanxi,China,2017-2019

Summary What is already known about this topic?Numerous epidemiological studies have documented the association between ambient nitrogen dioxide(NO2)and mortality and morbidity of respiratory diseases,however,research on the effect of NO2 on the length of hospital stay(LOS)and hospitalization expenditure is limited.What is added by this report?This study collected the respiratory hospitalization,hospital expenditure,and LOS for respiratory diseases from 2017-2019 in Shanxi,China,and comprehensively evaluated the association between ambient NO2 exposure and respiratory hospitalization,expenditure,and LOS.What are the implications for public health practice?This study provides evidence on the association between ambient NO2 and respiratory burden,suggesting that continuously reducing the NO2 concentrations could prevent respiratory diseaseassociated hospital admissions and decrease the relative burden in Shanxi Province and other similar regions.

Base-Promoted Catalyst-Free Regioselective Hydroacylation of Styrenes with Hydrazones via Carbanion Addition

Wereport a base-promoted catalyst-free protocol for the highly regioselective hydroacylation of styrenes with hydrazones derived from naturally abundant aldehydes.This protocolgeneratedlinearketoneswith goodfunctional grouptolerance anda broadsubstrate scope under mild conditions.Mechanistic studies showed that the addition of hydrazone anion to a styrene double bond was the key step,different from previoushydroacylationpathways(viaorganometallic complexes or radical intermediates).