Enhancing visible-light-driven NO oxidation through molecular‐level insights of dye-loaded sea sands

Natural minerals,abundant and easily obtained through simple physical processing,offer a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for dyeing wastewater disposal and air pollution treatment.This study investigates the photocatalytic removal of NO using natural different types of dyes,loaded on natural sand,under visible light illumination.By examining various coating concentrations of dyes and sand weights,we discovered that sand loaded with Rhodamine B(RhB)exhibits high activity for the photo-oxidation of NO.A combination results of X-ray diffraction(XRD),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR)and thermogravimetric(TG)analyses confirm the presence of SiO_(2),CaCO_(3),Al_(2)O_(3)and iron oxides as the main components of the sand.Furthermore,studying RhB-loaded individual components reveals that CaCO_(3)plays a crucial role in enhancing the NO removal rate.Experimental results and theoretical calculations demonstrate the establishment of a directional charge transfer channel from CaCO_(3)to RhB,facilitating the adsorption and activation of molecular NO and O_(2).This work not only promotes the utilization of natural mineral resources but also enriches the fields of environmental photochemistry and semiconductor photocatalysis.

Ultra-fine Cu clusters decorated hydrangea-like titanium dioxide for photocatalytic hydrogen production

Hydrogen,with the merits of zero emissions and high energy density,is one of the promising green energy sources.Seeking for high efficiency and low-cost catalysts is one of the key issues for hydrogen evolution and its practical applications.Nano-structured metal cocatalysts are widely used to improve the photocatalytic performance via surface electronic structure/properties optimization of the catalyst.Herein,we report ultra-fine(*1 nm)Cu clusters decorated hydrangea-like TiO_(2)systems for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.The pristine hydrangea-like TiO_(2)support shows a promising performance of hydrogen evolution(1.8 mmol·h^(-1)·g^(-1)),which is*10.7 times higher than that of the commercial P25(168 lmol·h^(-1)·g^(-1)).After ultra-fine Cu clusters decoration,a maximal hydrogen evolution performance(3.7 mmol·h^(-1)·g^(-1))is achieved in the optimized system 6Cu–TiO_(2)(6 wt%).Experimental and theoretical studies demonstrate that the ultra-fine Cu clusters decoration could promote the charge separation and transfer process effectively.The Cu clusters also act as reaction sites for reduction of H_(2)O to H2.These results are of great importance for the study of Cu-based co-catalyst systems and also shed light on the development of other non-noble metal co-catalysts in photocatalysis hydrogen evolution.

Preparation of aripiprazole-poly(methyl vinyl ether-co-maleic anhydride)nanocomposites via supercritical antisolvent process for improved antidepression therapy

Aripiprazole(ARI),a second-generation atypical antipsychotic drug approved for schizophrenia treatment,shows good efficacy against depression.However,the poorly aqueous solubility of ARI leads to low bioavailability and increased dose-related side effects,seriously limiting its application in pharmaceutics.Herein,we demonstrated the fabrication of ARI and poly(methyl vinyl etherco-maleic anhydride)(PVMMA)composite nanoparticles(PA NPs)using the supercritical antisolvent(SAS)process for enhancing its water-solubility and curative anti-depressant effects.Initially,the optimal experimental conditions(ARI/PVMMA mass ratio of 1:6,pressure of 10MPa,and solution flow rate of 0.75ml min^(-1))were determined by a 23 factorial experimental design,resulting in the PA NPs with an excellent particle morphology.In vitro cell experiments showed that PA NPs significantly inhibited the inflammatory response caused by the microglia activation induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS).Similarly,mice behavioral tests demonstrated that PA NPs significantly improved LPS-induced depression-like behavior.Importantly,compared with free ARI,the LPS-induced activation of microglia in the mouse brain and the expression of inflammatory factors in serum were significantly reduced after treatment with PA NPs.Together,the innovative PA NPs designed by SAS processmight provide a candidate for developing new ARI-based nano-formulations.