Coupling of BiOCl Ultrathin Nanosheets with Carbon Quantum Dots for Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance

Over the past few decades,photocatalysis technology has received extensive attention because of its potential to mitigate or solve energy and environmental pollution problems.Designing novel materials with outstanding photocatalytic activities has become a research hotspot in this field.In this study,we prepared a series of photocatalysts in which BiOCl nanosheets were modified with carbon quantum dots(CQDs)to form CQDs/BiOCl composites by using a simple solvothermal method.The photocatalytic performance of the resulting CQDs/BiOCl composite photocatalysts was assessed by rhodamine B and tetracycline degradation under visible-light irradiation.Compared with bare BiOCl,the photocatalytic activity of the CQDs/BiOCl composites was significantly enhanced,and the 5 wt%CQDs/BiOCl composite exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity with a degradation efficiency of 94.5%after 30 min of irradiation.Moreover,photocatalytic N_(2)reduction performance was significantly improved after introducing CQDs.The 5 wt%CQDs/BiOCl composite displayed the highest photocatalytic N_(2)reduction performance to yield NH_3(346.25μmol/(g h)),which is significantly higher than those of 3 wt%CQDs/BiOCl(256.04μmol/(g h)),7 wt%CQDs/BiOCl(254.07μmol/(g h)),and bare BiOCl(240.19μmol/(g h)).Our systematic characterizations revealed that the key role of CQDs in improving photocatalytic performance is due to their increased light harvesting capacity,remarkable electron transfer ability,and higher photocatalytic activity sites.

Cryogenian and Ediacaran integrative stratigraphy,biotas,and paleogeographical evolution of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas

The complex evolutionary history of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas,including the continental blocks(Indian,Lhasa,South Qiangtang,Tarim,Olongbuluk,Central Qilian,Alxa,North China,Yangtze,Central Iran and Oman)and the orogenic belts between them,has long been the frontier in Earth science research.The Cryogenian and Ediacaran strata are extensively distributed in these blocks.Specifically,relatively complete Cryogenian and Ediacaran successions have been discovered in Oman,Indian,Yangtze,and Tarim blocks,while only the Ediacaran successions have been reported in Iran,the South Qiangtang,Central Qilian,Alxa,and North China blocks.Based on previous studies together with the integration of new materials and advancement obtained through the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research,this review aims to synthesize a correlative stratigraphic framework of the representative Cryogenian and Ediacaran sequences from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas.Furthermore,the Cryogenian and Ediacaran biotas and major geological events in these areas are comprehensively discussed in aspects of current research status.The results indicate that,in general,Ediacaran fossils of each area exhibit distinct features in preservation and assemblage composition,but the typical late Ediacaran fossils Cloudina and Shaanxilithes have been reported from most of these areas.In addition to the two global Cryogenian glaciations,late Ediacaran glaciogenic deposits are extensively recorded in the areas within and around the northern QinghaiTibetan Plateau(including the North China,Alxa,Central Qilian,Olongbuluk,and Tarim blocks,and the North Qilian Accretionary Belt),as well as central and southern Iran.However,further research is required to determine the age,distribution,and origin of these late Ediacaran glaciogenic deposits.Meanwhile,the middle Ediacaran DOUNCE/Shuram Excursion is widely documented in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas.The available data show that,after the break-up of the Rodinia supercontinent,most of the continental blocks in the areas were located along the northern margin of East Gondwana and a few(such as North China)were located between the Gondwana and Laurentia.In general,the paleogeographic evolution of most of these blocks during the Cryogenian and Ediacaran remains disputatious,necessitating further research to resolve the controversies surrounding their paleogeographic reconstruction models during this critical time interval.

Cambrian integrative stratigraphy,biotas,and paleogeographical evolution of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas have a long and complex tectonic evolutionary history.Cratons and blocks,such as northern India,Lhasa,Qiangtang,Qaidam and Central Qilian,and their in-between orogenic belts constitute the main part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.During the Cambrian Period,most of these cratons and blocks were on the northwestern periphery of Gondwana,and were associated with the surrounding blocks,e.g.Arabian,Central Iran,Afghanistan,Tarim,Alxa,North China,South China and Sibumasu through the Proto-Tethys Ocean.The Cambrian stratigraphic sequences on these stable blocks are composed of mixed siliciclastic and carbonate rocks deposited in the shallow-water marine environments,and contain the trilobite assemblages of shelf facies.The Cambrian stratigraphic sequences in the Qilian tectonic belts,however,are characterized by the intermediate-basic igneous rocks and silicates formed in the Proto-Tethys Ocean,and contain the trilobite assemblages of deep-water slope facies.Combining with previous data,field observations and newly discovered fossils through funding by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research,the general characteristics of the Cambrian strata in different tectonic units of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas have been summarized in this paper.Furthermore,efforts have been made to subdivide and correlate the Cambrian strata across these areas by utilizing available biostratigraphic and geochronological data.As a result,a comprehensive litho-and biostratigraphy chart has been compiled.Finally,from the biogeographic perspective,this paper also provides a brief overview of the Cambrian paleogeographical reconstruction of the major tectonic blocks,and discusses the problems associated with the evolution of the ProtoTethys tectonic belt.

Polymyxin resistance caused by large-scale genomic inversion due to IS26 intramolecular translocation in Klebsiella pneumoniae

Polymyxin B and polymyxin E(colistin)are presently considered the last line of defense against human infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative organisms such as carbapenemase-producer Enterobacterales,Acinetobacter baumannii,and Klebsiella pneumoniae.Yet resistance to this last-line drugs is a major public health threat and is rapidly increasing.Polymyxin S2(S2)is a polymyxin B analogue previously synthesized in our institute with obviously high antibacterial activity and lower toxicity than polymyxin B and colistin.To predict the possible resistant mechanism of S2for wide clinical application,we experimentally induced bacterial resistant mutants and studied the preliminary resistance mechanisms.Mut-S,a resistant mutant of K.pneumoniae ATCC BAA-2146(Kpn2146)induced by S2,was analyzed by whole genome sequencing,transcriptomics,mass spectrometry and complementation experiment.Surprisingly,large-scale genomic inversion(LSGI)of approximately 1.1 Mbp in the chromosome caused by IS26mediated intramolecular transposition was found in Mut-S,which led to mgrB truncation,lipid A modification and hence S2resistance.The resistance can be complemented by plasmid carrying intact mgrB.The same mechanism was also found in polymyxin B and colistin induced drug-resistant mutants of Kpn2146(Mut-B and Mut-E,respectively).This is the first report of polymyxin resistance caused by IS26 intramolecular transposition mediated mgrB truncation in chromosome in K.pneumoniae.The findings broaden our scope of knowledge for polymyxin resistance and enriched our understanding of how bacteria can manage to survive in the presence of antibiotics.

Zeolite templated carbon nanodots for broadband ultrafast pulsed fiber laser generation

Carbon nanodots(C-dots) with a uniform size of about 2 nm are synthesized via in situ pyrolysis of n-propylamine that is confined in the nanochannels of zeolite Linde Type A(LTA). The as-synthesized C-dots@LTA composite shows nonlinear optical saturable absorption properties in a broad wavelength band and can be used as saturable absorber(SA) to generate ultrafast pulsed fiber lasers. By inserting a zeolite LTA single crystal hosting C-dots into the fiber laser cavity, mode-locked fiber lasers with long-term operation stability at 1.5 μm and 1 μm are achieved. These results show that the C-dots@LTA are a promising SA material for ultrafast pulsed fiber laser generation in a broad wavelength band. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a C-dots@LTA-based mode-locked fiber laser.

An ultra-sensitive metasurface biosensor for instant cancer detection based on terahertz spectra

Metasurface biosensors have become the core label-free and rapid-detection technology in bioanalysis.Lung cancer and brain cancer are the first leading causes of cancer death among adults and adolescents,respectively,where poor early diagnosis results from expensive detection costs and time consumption.To tackle the above problems,here,we introduce a terahertzdomain metasurface biosensor for cancer diagnosis,relying on a perfectly symmetrical periodic surface structure,which significantly exhibits polarization-insensitivity at 2.05 THz and the high-sensitivity of 504 GHz/RIU(RIU=refractive index unit).According to the frequency shifts and transmittance variations,four cell types are successfully distinguished from each other.The minimum number of cells is required for thousands of cells to display the differences of spectra,which is 1/30 of clinical methods.Furthermore,the results were consistent with pathological results(the gold standard in clinic)by Gaussian curve fitting.The proposed biosensor has really achieved the characterization of cells in normal and cancerous state.This detection strategy dramatically reduced the cost of detection by reuse and time consumption was reduced to 1/20 of the pathology testing.In addition,it is flexible to set samples and easy to realize automatic operation due to the great polarization-insensitivity of the proposed biosensor,which can further reduce labor costs in the future.It is envisioned that the proposed biosensor will present immense potential in the fields of cancer detection,distinguishing different cancers,identifying primary lesion cancer or metastatic cancer.