Photoelectrochemical regeneration of all vanadium redox species for construction of a solar rechargeable flow cell

Energy storage is pivotal for the continuous utilization of solar energy suffering from the intermittency issue. Herein, we demonstrate a solar rechargeable flow cell（SRFC） based on photoelectrochemical regeneration of vanadium redox species for in-situ solar energy harvest and storage. In this device, TiO_2 and MWCNT/acetylene black（MWCNT/AB） composite are served as the photoanode and the counter electrode,respectively, with all vanadium redox couples, VO_2~＋/VO^（2＋）and VO^（2＋）/V^（3＋）, as solar energy storage media.Benefitting from solar energy, the cell can be photocharged under a bias as low as 0.1 V, which is much lower than the discharge voltage of ~0.5 V. Photocharged under the optimized condition, the cell delivers a discharge energy of 23.0 mWh/L with 67.4% input electric energy savings. This prototype work may inspire the rational design for cost-effective solar energy storage devices.

Regulation characteristics of oxide generation and formaldehyde removal by using volume DBD reactor

Discharge plasmas in air can be accompanied by ultraviolet（UV） radiation and electron impact,which can produce large numbers of reactive species such as hydroxyl radical（OH·）,oxygen radical（O·）,ozone（O3）,and nitrogen oxides（NOx）,etc.The composition and dosage of reactive species usually play an important role in the case of volatile organic compounds（VOCs） treatment with the discharge plasmas.In this paper,we propose a volume discharge setup used to purify formaldehyde in air,which is configured by a plate-to-plate dielectric barrier discharge（DBD） channel and excited by an AC high voltage source.The results show that the relative spectral-intensity from DBD cell without formaldehyde is stronger than the case with formaldehyde.The energy efficiency ratios（EERs） of both oxides yield and formaldehyde removal can be regulated by the gas flow velocity in DBD channel,and the most desirable processing effect is the gas flow velocity within the range from2.50 to 3.33 m s^-1.Moreover,the EERs of both the generated dosages of oxides（O3 and NO2） and the amount of removed formaldehyde can also be regulated by both of the applied voltage and power density loaded on the DBD cell.Additionally,the EERs of both oxides generation and formaldehyde removal present as a function of normal distribution with increasing the applied power density,and the peak of the function is appeared in the range from 273.5 to 400.0 W l-1.This work clearly demonstrates the regulation characteristic of both the formaldehyde removal and oxides yield by using volume DBD,and it is helpful in the applications of VOCs removal by using discharge plasma.

Oxidation of S(Ⅳ)in Seawater by Pulsed High Voltage Discharge Plasma with TiO_2/Ti Electrode as Catalyst~

Oxidation of S（IV） to S（VI） in the effluent of a flue gas desulfurization（FGD） sys- tem is very critical for industrial applications of seawater FGD. This paper reports a pulsed corona discharge oxidation process combined with a TiO2 photocatalyst to convert S（IV） to S（VI） in artificial seawater. Experimental results show that the oxidation of S（IV） in artificial seawater is enhanced in the pulsed discharge plasma process through the application of TiO2 coating electrodes. The oxidation rate of S（IV） using Ti metal as a ground electrode is about 2.0x10-4 mol. L 1. min-1, the oxidation rate using TiO2/Ti electrode prepared by annealing at 500 ~C in air is 4.5x 10-4 tool. L-a ~ min-1, an increase with a factor 2.25. The annealing temper- ature for preparing TiO2/Ti electrode has a strong effect on the oxidation of S（IV） in artificial seawater. The results of in-situ emission spectroscopic analysis show that chemically active species （i.e. hydroxyl radicals and oxygen radicals） are produced in the pulsed discharge plasma process. Compared with the traditional air oxidation process and the sole plasma-induced oxidation process, the combined application of TiO2 photocatalysts and a pulsed high-voltage electrical discharge process is useful in enhancing the energy and conversion efficiency of S（IV） for the seawater FGD system.

Abnormal energy metabolism and tau phosphorylation in the brains of middle-aged mice in response to atmospheric PM2.5 exposure

In light of the accelerated aging of the global population and the deterioration of the atmosphere pollution, we sought to clarify the potential mechanisms by which fine particulate matter（PM_（2.5）） can cause cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration through the alteration of mitochondrial structure and function. The results indicate that PM_（2.5） inhalation reduces ATP production by disrupting the aerobic tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation, thereby causing the hypophosphorylation of tau in the cortices of middle-aged mice. Furthermore, excessive reactive oxygen species generation was involved in the impairment. Interestingly, these alterations were partially reversed after exposure to PM_（2.5） ended. These findings clarify the mechanism involved in mitochondrial abnormality-related neuropathological dysfunction in response to atmospheric PM_（2.5） inhalation and provide an optimistic sight for alleviating the adverse health outcomes in polluted areas.