Defect engineering of water-dispersible g-C_(3)N_(4) photocatalysts by chemical oxidative etching of bulk g-C_(3)N_(4) prepared in different calcination atmospheres

In this study,water-dispersible graphitic carbon nitride(g-C_(3)N_(4))photocatalysts were successively prepared through the chemically oxidative etching of bulk g-C_(3)N_(4) that was polymerized thermally in different calcination atmospheres such as air,CO_(2),and N_(2).The different calcination atmospheres directly influenced the physicochemical and optical properties of both bulk and water-dispersible g-C_(3)N_(4),changing the photocatalytic degradation behavior of methylene blue(MB)and tetracycline hydrochloride(TCHCl)for water-dispersible g-C_(3)N_(4).The bubble-burst process in the thermal polymerization of thiourea produced defective edges containing C=O groups that preferred substituting the C-NHx groups over bulk g-C_(3)N_(4).In the oxygen-free N_(2) atmosphere among the different calcination atmospheres,more C=O functional groups were generated on the defective edges of bulk g-C_(3)N_(4),resulting in the highest N vacancy of the tri-s-triazine structure.During the successive chemical oxidation,S-or O-containing functional groups were introduced onto water-dispersible g-C_(3)N_(4).The water-dispersible g-C_(3)N_(4) photocatalyst from the oxygen-free N_(2) atmosphere(NTw)contained the most O-and S-functional groups on the g-C_(3)N_(4) surface.Consequently,NTw exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity in the MB and TC-HCl photodegradation because of its slowest recombination process,which was ascribed to the unique surface properties of NTw such as abundant functional groups on the defective edges and N-deficient property.

MODIFICATION OF MULTI-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES WITH POLY(NITRILOETHYLENENITRILOVINYLENE)“GRAFTING TO”THE SURFACE

A mild and facile way was used to prepare poly(nitriloethylenenitrilovinylene)-grafted multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs-g-PNENV)nanocomposites via the"grafting to"method.The MWCNTs-g-PNENV nanocomposites are well dispersible in polar solvents such as water,tetrahydrofuran and ethanol.Chemical structure of the resulting product was characterized by Fourier transform infrared(FTIR)spectroscopy,transmission electron microscopy(TEM)and thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA).FTIR showed that the"grafting to"process belonged to covalent attachment mechanisms.TEM observations indicated that the MWCNTs were coated with a uniform PNENV layer,and the MWCNTs existed as a hard backbone.TGA data also showed that the PNENV shell was successfully grafted to the side wall of MWCNTs.

Water‑Dispersible CsPbBr_(3) Perovskite Nanocrystals with Ultra‑Stability and its Application in Electrochemical CO_(2) Reduction

Thanks to the excellent optoelectronic properties,lead halide perovskites(LHPs)have been widely employed in highperformance optoelectronic devices such as solar cells and lightemitting diodes.However,overcoming their poor stability against water has been one of the biggest challenges for most applications.Herein,we report a novel hot-injection method in a Pb-poor environment combined with a well-designed purification process to synthesize water-dispersible CsPbBr_(3) nanocrystals(NCs).The as-prepared NCs sustain their superior photoluminescence(91%quantum yield in water)for more than 200 days in an aqueous environment,which is attributed to a passivation effect induced by excess CsBr salts.Thanks to the ultra-stability of these LHP NCs,for the first time,we report a new application of LHP NCs,in which they are applied to electrocatalysis of CO_(2) reduction reaction.Noticeably,they show significant electrocatalytic activity(faradaic yield:32%for CH4,40%for CO)and operation stability(>350 h).

Organo-mineral complexes in soil colloids:Implications for carbon storage in saline-alkaline paddy soils from an eight-year field experiment

The combination of organic carbon(OC) and reactive minerals is a crucial mechanism of soil carbon(C) storage, which is regulated by the formation of organo-mineral complexes on the surface of soil colloids. The effect of organic fertilizer on the storage mechanism of OC in soil colloids was studied through an 8-year field experiment, which included four treatments: i) no fertilization(control, CK), ii) only mineral N, P, and K fertilization(NPK), iii) NPK plus a low level(450 kg C ha^(-1)year^(-1)) of organic fertilization(NPKC1), and iv) NPK plus a high level(900 kg C ha^(-1)year^(-1)) of organic fertilization(NPKC2). The main results indicated that organic fertilizer addition significantly increased the content of aromatic-C, which was 158.7% and 140.0% higher in soil colloids than in bulk soil in the NPKC1 and NPKC2 treatments, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy further demonstrated that the relative proportion of C=C group on the surface of soil colloids was increased by 20.1% and 19.1% in the NPKC1 and NPKC2 treatments, respectively,compared with the CK. In addition, compared with the NPK treatment, the content of reactive minerals(such as Fe and Al oxides) significantly increased with organic fertilization, which was positively correlated with C=C group in soil colloids. This indicates that aromatic-C may be retained by the formation of aromatic-mineral complexes with reactive minerals in soil colloids. Organic fertilization also significantly increased OC storage efficiency(OCSE), which was significantly higher in the NPKC1 treatment than in the NPKC2 treatment. Therefore, a moderate amount of organic fertilizer application is a better agronomic practice to increase OCSE and OC storage in saline-alkaline paddy soils.

One Step Preparation of Highly Dispersed TiO2 Nanoparticles

A facile approach was developed to prepare highly dispersed TiO2 nanoparticles with selected phase. The crystallization phase of the nanoparticles can be easily tuned from anatase to rutile by the dosage of hydrochloric acid in the reaction system. The crystallite size of the as-prepared anatase TiO2 nanoparticles was ca. 3.2 nm with high dispersion. A transparent TiO2 colloid was obtained by dispersing the as-prepared anatase TiO2 nanoparticles in deionized water without any organic additives added. The concentration of TiO2-H2O colloid can be as high as 1600 g/L. The optical transmittance of TiO2-H2O colloid with a low concentration was nearly 100% in the visible region. Furthermore, anatase TiO2 nanoparticles（TiO2-NPs） showed superior photocatalytic performance compared to rutile TiO2-NPs.