Photocatalytic Inhibition of Cyanobacterial Growth Using Silver-doped TiO_2 under UV-C Light

Capacity of the silver-doped TiO2 under UV-C light to restrain cyanobacterial growth was explored with Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 and Microcystis aeruginosa as test species. The survival, chlorophyll bleaching, photosynthetic activity, DNA breakages, antioxidant enzyme activities, lipid peroxidation, and cellular morphologic structure of test cyanobacteria were analyzed. The results indicate that the test cyanobacteria with UV-C photocatalysis by silver-doped TiO2 sufferd from effects of reactive oxygen species, which promote the damage of the cell wall and the peroxidation of cell membranes, and subsequently, aggravate the losses of cell organelle and viability. The results suggest that UV-C photocatalysis by the silver ions doped TiO2 could be a promising method to prevent fast and excessive growth of cyanobacteria in eutrophic water sources.

波长对Ag/TiO_2催化剂上二氧化碳光催化还原的影响(英文)

Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 by water was performed in the presence of a Ag/TiO2 catalyst under illumination by lamps with different wavelengths(254,365,and 400 nm).The yields of the main products(methane and methanol)were higher with the 254 nm lamp than with the 365 lamp while no products were observed with the 400 nm lamp.This was because the electron-hole generation rate increased with increasing energy of irradiation(decreasing wavelength)and there were higher densities of electron states at higher energies in TiO2. The increased efficiency of electron-hole generation with a shorter wavelength irradiation increased the efficiency of the catalyst.The energy of the electrons excited by visible light(400 nm)was too low for CO2 photocatalytic reduction.

Preparation of Ag+/TiO2 Composite Coating Film for Preservation of Nanfeng Citrus

Using tetrabutyl titanate as the precursor, silver nitrate as the load agent, silver-doped titanium dioxide coating film was prepared by sol-gel method. Three agent samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD） analysis to investigate the crystal structure, which confirmed a synergistic antibacterial effect. The antibacterial and preservative effects of silver-doped titanium dioxide coating film on Nanfeng citrus were investigated preliminarily. Nutritional indicators of ripe Nanfeng citrus before and after preservation were detected to investigate the preservative properties of silver-doped titanium dioxide coating film and compare the effects of different components of composite coating film. The results showed that Ag＋/TiO2 composite coating film exhibited high antibacterial and preservative effects on Nanfeng citrus under visible light illumination condition.

Photoelectrochemical activity of ZnO:Ag/rGO photo-anodes synthesized by two-steps sol-gel method

This work investigated the influence of silver plasmon and reduced graphene oxide(r GO)on the photoelectrochemical performance(PEC)of Zn O thin films synthesized by the sol-gel method.The physicochemical properties of the obtained photo-anodes were systematically studied by using several characterization techniques.The x-ray diffraction analysis showed that all samples presented hexagonal wurtzite structure with a polycrystalline nature.Raman and energy dispersive x-ray(EDX)studies confirmed the existence of both Ag and r GO in Zn O:Ag/r GO thin films.The estimated grain size obtained from scanning electron microscopy(SEM)analysis decreased with Ag doping,then increased to a maximum value after r GO addition.The UV-vis transmission spectra of the as-prepared Zn O:Ag and Zn O:Ag/r GO thin films have shown a reduction in the visible range with a redshift at the absorption edges.The bandgaps were estimated to be around 3.17 e V,2.7 e V,and 2.52 e V for Zn O,Zn O:Ag,and Zn O:Ag/r GO,respectively.Moreover,the electrical measurements revealed that the charge exchange processes were enhanced at the Zn O:Ag/r GO/electrolyte interface,accompanied by an increase in the(PEC)performance compared to Zn O and Zn O:Ag photo-anodes.Consequently,the photocurrent density of Zn O:Ag/r GO(0.2 m A·cm^(-2)) was around 4 and 2.22 times higher than photo-anodes based on undoped Zn O(0.05 m A·cm^(-2)) and Zn O:Ag(0.09 m A·cm^(-2)),respectively.Finally,from the flat band potential and donor density,deduced from the Mott-Schottky,it was clear that all the samples were n-type semiconductors with the highest carrier density for the Zn O:Ag/r GO photo-anode.

Functional plastic films:nano-engineered composite based flexible microwave antennas with near-unity relative visible transmittance

Microwave antennas are essential elements for various applications,such as telecommunication,radar,sensing,and wireless power transport.These antennas are conventionally manufactured on rigid substrates using opaque materials,such as metal strips,metallic tapes,or epoxy pastes;thus,prohibiting their use in flexible and wearable devices,and simultaneously limiting their integration into existing optoelectronic systems.Here,we demonstrate that mechanically flexible and optically transparent microwave antennas with high operational efficiencies can be readily fabricated using composite nanolayers deposited on common plastic substrates.The composite nanolayer structure consists of an ultra-thin copper-doped silver film sandwiched between two dielectric films of tantalum pentoxide and aluminum oxide.The material and thickness of each constituent layer are judiciously selected such that the whole structure exhibits an experimentally measured averaged visible transmittance as high as 98.94%compared to a bare plastic substrate,and simultaneously,a sheet resistance as low as 12.5Ω/sq.Four representative types of microwave antennas are implemented:an omnidirectional dipole antenna,unidirectional Yagi-Uda antenna,low-profile patch antenna,and Fabry-Pérot cavity antenna.These devices exhibit great mechanical flexibility with bending angle over 70°,high gain of up to 13.6 dBi,and large radiation efficiency of up to 84.5%.The proposed nano-engineered composites can be easily prepared over large areas on various types of substrates and simultaneously overcome the limitations of poor mechanical flexibility,low electrical conductivity,and reduced optical transparency usually faced by other constituent materials for flexible transparent microwave antennas.The demonstrated flexible microwave antennas have various applications ranging from fifth-generation and vehicular communication systems to bio-signal monitors and wearable electronics.

Controlled Ag-driven superior rate-capability of Li4Ti5O12 anodes for lithium rechargeable batteries

The morphology and electronic structure of a Li4Ti5012 anode are known to determine its electrical and electrochemical properties in lithium rechargeable batteries. Ag-Li4Ti5012 nanofibers have been rationally designed and synthesized by an electrospinning technique to meet the requirements of one-dimensional （1D） morphology and superior electrical conductivity. Herein, we have found that the 1D Ag-Li4Ti5012 nanofibers show enhanced specific capacity, rate capability, and cycling stability compared to bare Li4Ti5012 nanofibers, due to the Ag nanoparticles （〈5 nm）, which are mainly distributed at interfaces between Li4Ti5O12 primary particles. This structural morphology gives rise to 20% higher rate capability than bare Li4Ti5O12 nanofibers by facilitating the charge transfer kinetics. Our findings provide an effective way to improve the electrochemical performance of Li4Ti5O12 anodes for lithium rechargeable batteries.