Light-assisted rechargeable zinc-air battery:Mechanism,progress,and prospects

Exploring effective energy storage systems is critical to alleviate energy scarcity.Rechargeable zinc-air batteries are promising energy storage devices.However,conventional rechargeable zinc-air battery systems face many challenges associated with electrolytes and electrodes,causing inferior electrochemistry performance.The light-assisted strategy represents a novel and innovative approach to conventional zinc-air battery technology that uses only electrical energy.This strategy effectively combines both light and electrical energy conversion/storage mechanisms.In addition,light-assisted rechargeable zinc-air batteries can achieve photocharging with or without applied electrical bias by partially using solar energy and the acceleration of oxygen reduction/evolution reaction kinetics.In this paper,the working mechanism and structural design of the light-assisted rechargeable zinc-air batteries are introduced based on the theory of photoelectrochemistry and its characteristics.Then,the latest advances in electrolyte and photocathode design strategies are discussed in detail.The performance enhancement of aqueous light-assisted rechargeable zinc-air batteries using photoelectric materials is explained.Finally,a summary and outlook on the further modification of properties of light-assisted rechargeable zinc-air batteries,especially the photovoltaic electrode catalyst design strategies,are illustrated.This review provides insights and guidance for the design of high-performance light-assisted rechargeable Zn-air batteries for next-generation energy storage devices.

ZnO sheets prepared with a light-assisted growth method for improved photodegradation performance

ZnO as a semiconductor photocatalyst is widely applied in the photodegradation of organic pollutants. Its photocatalytic activity is greatly decreased because of the recombination of photoexcited electrons and holes in the bulk. In this work, ZnO sheets are synthesized by adjusting the NaOH concentration under light irradiation at room temperature. Compared with ZnO particles, the ZnO sheets prepared with a light-assisted growth method exhibit a higher rate of photodegradation of methylene blue under UV visible light irradiation. The improved photodegradation rate is mainly attributed to the shortened transport distance of photoexcited electrons, the high surface area, and the surface atom structure modified by the light-assisted growth process. (C) 2016 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press. All rights reserved.

Air-Stable,Eco-Friendly RRAMs Based on Lead-Free Cs_(3)Bi_(2)Br_(9)Perovskite Quantum Dots for High-Performance Information Storage

Development of lead-free halide perovskites that are innocuous and stable has become an attractive trend in resistive random access memory(RRAM)fields.However,their inferior memory properties compared with the lead-based analogs hinder their commercialization.Herein,the lead-free Cs_(3)Bi_(2)Br_(9)perovskite quantum dot(PQD)-based RRAMs are reported with outstanding memory performance,where Cs_(3)Bi_(2)Br_(9)quantum dots(QDs)are synthesized via a modified ligand-assisted recrystallization process.This is the first report of applying Cs_(3)Bi_(2)Br_(9)QDs as the switching layer for RRAM device.The Cs_(3)Bi_(2)Br_(9)QD device demonstrates nonvolatile resistive switching(RS)effect with large ON/OFF ratio of 105,low set voltage of-0.45 V,as well as good reliability,reproducibility,and flexibility.Concurrently,the device exhibits the notable tolerance toward moisture,heat and light illumination,and long-term stability of 200 days.More impressively,the device shows the reliable light-modulated RS behavior,and therefrom the logic gate operations including"AND"and"OR"are implemented,foreboding its prospect in logic circuits integrated with storage and computation.Such multifunctionality of device could be derived from the unique 2D layered crystal structure,small particle size,quantum confinement effect,and photoresponse of Cs_(3)Bi_(2)Br_(9)QDs.This work provides the strategy toward the high-performance RRAMs based on stable and eco-friendly perovskites for future applications.

Light-Dependent Properties of Finishing and Leather Defects

The uniformity of the colour in leathers for the furnishing and automotive sectors is a particularly important feature, especially for white or light-coloured articles, intended to the high-end market;on these articles any colour alteration can be very visible and unpleasant, with possible technical and economic consequences for the producers. In a previous study, we analysed the possible causes behind the formation of some peculiar pink/salmon stains on different kinds of white/beige/light-coloured leather furnishing items, where we focalized our attention on TiO2 properties and its possible interaction with some organic-based antioxidants. In recent years, due to many other similar cases of defects that occurred to tanners and to upholstery traders, we decided to enhance the investigations concerning this topic. More in detail we analysed, defective leathers, powder pigments and chemicals, in order to identify the possible role of some substances in this issue, with particular reference to some antioxidants and aluminosilicates, where several diagnostic techniques have been utilised, as ATR-IR (Attenuated Total Reflectance IR Spectroscopy), SEM-EDX (Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis), XRF (X-ray Fluorescence spectrometry), GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry), and DSC/TGA (Differential scanning calorimetry/Thermogravimetry) equipment.