Lamellar water induced quantized interlayer spacing of nanochannels walls

The nanoscale confinement is of great important for the industrial applications of molecular sieve,desalination,and also essential in bio-logical transport systems.Massive efforts have been devoted to the influence of restricted spaces on the properties of confined fluids.However,the situation of channel-wall is crucial but attracts less attention and remains unknown.To fundamentally understand the mechanism of channel-walls in nanoconfinement,we investigated the interaction between the counter-force of the liquid and interlamellar spacing of nanochannel walls by considering the effect of both spatial confinement and surface wettability.The results reveal that the nanochannel stables at only a few discrete spacing states when its confinement is within 1.4 nm.The quantized interlayer spacing is attributed to water molecules becoming laminated structures,and the stable states are corresponding to the monolayer,bilayer and trilayer water configurations,respectively.The results can potentially help to understand the characterized interlayers spacing of graphene oxide membrane in water.Our findings are hold great promise in design of ion filtration membrane and artificial water/ion channels.

Graphene effectively activating "dead" water molecules between manganese dioxide layers in potassium-ion battery

Aqueous potassium-ion batteries(APIBs),recognized as safe and reliable new energy devices,are considered as one of the alternatives to traditional batteries.Layered MnO_(2),serving as the main cathode,exhibits a lower specific capacity in aqueous electrolytes compared to organic systems and operates through a different reaction mechanism.The application of highly conductive graphene may effectively enhance the capacity of APIBs but could complicate the potassium storage environment.In this study,a MnO_(2) cathode pre-intercalated with K~+ions and grown on graphene(KMO@rGO) was developed using the microwave hydrothermal method for APIBs.KMO@rGO achieved a specific capacity of 90 mA h g^(-1) at a current density of 0.1 A g^(-1),maintaining a capacity retention rate of>90% after 5000 cycles at 5 A g^(-1).In-situ and exsitu characterization techniques revealed the energy-storage mechanism of KMO@rGO:layered MnO_(2)traps a large amount of "dead" water molecules during K~+ions removal.However,the introduction of graphene enables these water molecules to escape during K~+ ions insertion at the cathode.The galvanostatic intermittent titration technique and density functional theory confirmed that KMO@rGO has a higher K~+ions migration rate than MnO_(2).Therefore,the capacity of this cathode depends on the interaction between dead water and K~+ions during the energy-storage reaction.The optimal structural alignment between layered MnO_(2) and graphene allows electrons to easily flow into the external circuit.Rapid charge compensation forces numerous low-solvent K~+ions to displace interlayer dead water,enhancing the capacity.This unique reaction mechanism is unprecedented in other aqueous battery studies.

The superhydrophobic sponge decorated with Ni-Co double layered oxides with thiol modification for continuous oil/water separation

In this paper, the superhydrophobic polyurethane sponge(SS-PU) was facilely fabricated by etching with Jones reagent to bind the nanoparticles of Ni-Co double layered oxides(LDOs) on the surface, and following modification with n-dodecyl mercaptan(DDT). This method provides a new strategy to fabricate superhydrophobic PU sponge with a water contact angle of 157° for absorbing oil with low cost and in large scale. It exhibits the strong absorption capacity and highly selective characteristic for various kinds of oils which can be recycled by simple squeezing. Besides, the as-prepared sponge can deal with the floating and underwater oils, indicating its application value in handling oil spills and domestic oily wastewater. The good self-cleaning ability shows the potential to clear the pollutants due to the ultralow adhesion to water. Especially, the most important point is that the superhydrophobic sponge can continuously and effectively separate the oil/water mixture against the condition of turbulent disturbance by using our designed device system, which exhibit its good superhydrophobicity, strong stability.Furthermore, the SS-PU still maintained stable absorption performance after 150 cycle tests without losing capacity obviously, showing excellent durability in long-term operation and significant potential as an efficient absorbent in large-scale dispose of oily water.

Towards a new avenue for rapid synthesis of electrocatalytic electrodes via laser-induced hydrothermal reaction for water splitting

Electrochemical production of hydrogen from water requires the development ofelectrocatalysts that are active,stable,and low-cost for water splitting.To address these challenges,researchers are increasingly exploring binder-free electrocatalytic integratedelectrodes (IEs) as an alternative to conventional powder-based electrode preparation methods,for the former is highly desirable to improve the catalytic activity and long-term stability for large-scale applications of electrocatalysts.Herein,we demonstrate a laser-inducedhydrothermal reaction (LIHR) technique to grow NiMoO4nanosheets on nickel foam,which is then calcined under H2/Ar mixed gases to prepare the IE IE-NiMo-LR.This electrode exhibits superior hydrogen evolution reaction performance,requiring overpotentials of 59,116 and143 mV to achieve current densities of 100,500 and 1000 mA·cm-2.During the 350 h chronopotentiometry test at current densities of 100 and 500 m A·cm-2,the overpotentialremains essentially unchanged.In addition,NiFe-layered double hydroxide grown on Ni foam is also fabricated with the same LIHR method and coupled with IE-NiMo-IR to achieve water splitting.This combination exhibits excellent durability under industrial current density.The energy consumption and production efficiency of the LIHR method are systematicallycompared with the conventional hydrothermal method.The LIHR method significantly improves the production rate by over 19 times,while consuming only 27.78%of the total energy required by conventional hydrothermal methods to achieve the same production.

Recent advances in flat sheet mixed matrix membrane modified by Mg-based layered double hydroxides(LDHs)for salt and organic compound separations

Magnesium(Mg)is a widely used and attractive metal,known for its unique physical and chemical properties,and it has been employed in the manufacture of many practical materials.Layered Double Hydroxides(LDHs),particularly Mg-based LDHs,rank among the most prevalent two-dimensional materials utilized in separation processes,which include adsorption,extraction,and membrane technology.The high popularity of Mg-based LDHs in separation applications can be attributed to their properties,such as excellent hydrophilicity,high surface area,ion exchangeability,and adjustable interlayer space.Currently,polymer membranes play a pivotal role in semi-industrial and industrial separation processes.Consequently,the development of polymer membranes and the mitigation of their limitations have emerged as compelling topics for researchers.Several methods exist to enhance the separation performance and anti-fouling properties of polymer membranes.Among these,incorporating additives into the membrane polymer matrix stands out as a cost-effective,straightforward,readily available,and efficient approach.The use of Mg-based LDHs,either in combination with other materials or as a standalone additive in the polymer membrane matrix,represents a promising strategy to bolster the separation and anti-fouling efficacy of flat sheet mixed matrix polymer membranes.This review highlights Mg-based LDHs as high-potential additives designed to refine flat sheet mixed matrix polymer membranes for applications in wastewater treatment and brackish water desalination.

Effects of Typical Soil and Stratification Thickness on Water Infiltration Characteristics in Central Ningxia

In order to compare the influence of different soil types and stratification on water infiltration capacity,two main types of soil in the desert steppe,sierozem(S)and aeolian sandy soil(A),were selected,and infiltration simulation tests were conducted on homogeneous soil and layered soil(layer thickness 5,10,and 20 cm),respectively.The results show that during the whole experiment,there was a small difference between S5A95(aeolian sandy soil 95 cm thick was covered with sierozem 5 cm thick)and S10A90(aeolian sandy soil 90 cm thick was covered with sierozem 10 cm thick)in the wetting front process,infiltration rate and cumulative infiltration,but there was a significant difference between S5A95 and S20A80(aeolian sandy soil 80 cm thick was covered with sierozem 20 cm thick).In the initial infiltration stage,there was no significant difference between A5S95(sierozem 95 cm thick was covered with aeolian sandy soil 5 cm thick)and A10S90(sierozem 90 cm thick was covered with aeolian sandy soil 10 cm thick).However,with the increase of infiltration time,the wetting front process,A5S95,A10S90 and A20S80 had significant differences in terms of wetting front process,infiltration rate and cumulative infiltration.The infiltration capacity of A was significantly higher than that of S.Combined with linear R 2 value and model parameters,the three infiltration models were comprehensively compared,and the fitting process and results of the general empirical model for the infiltration process of homogeneous soil and layered soil showed good results.Three models were used to simulate the water infiltration process of layered soil with different textures,and the order of the effect is as follows:general empirical model>Kostiakov model>Philip model.Soil type and layer thickness had a great influence on water infiltration process.When sierozem was covered with aeolian sandy soil 20 cm thick,the infiltration capacity was the best.As aeolian sandy soil was covered with sierozem 10 cm thick,the infiltration effect was the worst.Therefore,once coarse graying occurs on the surface of sierozem(the thickness of sand is more than 20 cm)or when the content of fine particles overlying aeolian sandy soil(the thickness of silt and clay soil is more than 10 cm)during ecological restoration is high,the soil hydrological characteristics will change significantly,which may lead to changes in vegetation types and even ecosystem structure.

Long Term Effects of Farming System on Soil Water Content and Dry Soil Layer in Deep Loess Profile of Loess Tableland in China

Soil water is strongly affected by land use/cover in the Loess Plateau in China. Water stored in thick loessal soils is one of the most important resources regulating vegetation growth. However, soil water in the deep loess proifle, which is critical for maintaining the function of the“soil water pool”is rarely studied because deep proifle soil samples are dififcult to collect. In this study, four experimental plots were established in 2005 to represent different farming systems on the Changwu Tableland：fallow land, fertilized cropland, unfertilized cropland, and continuous alfalfa. The soil water content in the 15-m-deep loess proifles was monitored continuously from 2007 to 2012 with the neutron probe technique. The results showed that temporal variations in soil water proifles differed among the four farming systems. Under fallow land, the soil water content increased gradually over time, ifrst in the surface layers and later in the deep soil layers. In contrast, the soil water content decreased gradually under continuous alfalfa. The distributions of soil water in deep soil layers under both fertilized and unfertilized cropland were relatively stable over time. Thus farming system signiifcantly affected soil water content. Seven years after the start of the experiment, the soil water contents in the 15-m-deep proifles averaged 23.4%under fallow land, 20.3%under fertilized cropland, 21.6%under unfertilized cropland, and 16.0%under continuous alfalfa. Compared to measurements at the start of the experiment, both fallow land and unfertilized cropland increased soil water storage in the 15-m loess proifles. In contrast, continuous alfalfa reduced soil water storage. Fertilized cropland has no signiifcant effect on soil water storage. These results suggest that deep soil water can be replenished under the fallow and unfertilized farming systems. Dry soil layers （i.e., those which have soil water content less than the stable ifeld water capacity） in the subsoil of the Changwu Tableland region can be classiifed as either temporary dry soil layers or persistent dry soil layers. Temporary dry soil layers, which typically form under annual crops, often disappear during wet years. Persistent dry soil layers generally develop under perennial vegetation. Even after removing the vegetation, persistent dry soil layers remain for several decades. This study provides information useful for the conservation and utilization of soil water resources in the Loess Tableland.

Spatial distribution of water-active soil layer along the south-north transect in the Loess Plateau of China

Soil water is an important composition of water recycle in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum.However, intense water exchange between soil-plant and soil-atmosphere interfaces only occurs in a certain layer of the soil profile. For deep insight into water active layer(WAL, defined as the soil layer with a coefficient of variation in soil water content >10% in a given time domain) in the Loess Plateau of China,we measured soil water content(SWC) in the 0.0–5.0 m soil profile from 86 sampling sites along an approximately 860-km long south-north transect during the period 2013–2016. Moreover, a dataset contained four climatic factors(mean annual precipitation, mean annual evaporation, annual mean temperature and mean annual dryness index) and five local factors(altitude, slope gradient, land use, clay content and soil organic carbon) of each sampling site was obtained. In this study, three WAL indices(WALT(the thickness of WAL), WAL-CV(the mean coefficient of variation in SWC within WAL) and WALSWC(the mean SWC within WAL)) were used to evaluate the characteristics of WAL. The results showed that with increasing latitude, WAL-T and WAL-CV increased firstly and then decreased. WAL-SWC showed an opposite distribution pattern along the south-north transect compared with WAL-T and WAL-CV.Average WAL-T of the transect was 2.0 m, suggesting intense soil water exchange in the 0.0–2.0 m soil layer in the study area. Soil water exchange was deeper and more intense in the middle region than in the southern and northern regions, with the values of WAL-CV and WAL-T being 27.3% and 4.3 m in the middle region,respectively. Both climatic(10.1%) and local(4.9%) factors influenced the indices of WAL, with climatic factors having a more dominant effect. Compared with multiple linear regressions, pedotransfer functions(PTFs) from arti?cial neural network can better estimate the WAL indices. PTFs developed by artificial neural network respectively explained 86%, 81% and 64% of the total variations in WAL-T, WAL-SWC and WAL-CV. Knowledge of WAL is crucial for understanding the regional water budget and evaluating the stable soil water reserve, regional water characteristics and eco-hydrological processes in the Loess Plateau of China.

New evidence for the links between the local water cycle and the underground wet sand layer of a mega-dune in the Badain Jaran Desert, China

Scientists and the local government have great concerns about the climate change and water resources in the Badain Jaran Desert of western China. A field study for the local water cycle of a lake-desert system was conducted near the Noertu Lake in the Badain Jaran Desert from 21 June to 26 August 2008. An underground wet sand layer was observed at a depth of 20–50 cm through analysis of datasets collected during the field experiment. Measurements unveiled that the near surface air humidity increased in the nighttime. The sensible and latent heat fluxes were equivalent at a site about 50 m away from the Noertu Lake during the daytime, with mean values of 134.4 and 105.9 W/m2 respectively. The sensible heat flux was dominant at a site about 500 m away from the Noertu Lake, with a mean of 187.7 W/m2, and a mean latent heat flux of only 26.7 W/m2. There were no apparent differences for the land surface energy budget at the two sites during the night time. The latent heat flux was always negative with a mean value of –12.7 W/m2, and the sensible heat flux was either positive or negative with a mean value of 5.10 W/m2. A portion of the local precipitation was evaporated into the air and the top-layer of sand dried quickly after every rainfall event, while another portion seeped deep and was trapped by the underground wet sand layer, and supplied water for surface psammophyte growth. With an increase of air humidity and the occurrence of negative latent heat flux or water vapor condensation around the Noertu Lake during the nighttime, we postulated that the vapor was transported and condensed at the lakeward sand surface, and provided supplemental underground sand pore water. There were links between the local water cycle, underground wet sand layer, psammophyte growth and landscape evolution of the mega-dunes surrounding the lakes in the Badain Jaran Desert of western China.

Recent progress in functionalized layered double hydroxides and their application in efficient electrocatalytic water oxidation

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs), a class of anionic clays consisting of brucite-like host layers and interlayer anions, have been widely investigated in the last decade due to their promising applications in many areas such as catalysis, ion separation and adsorption. Owing to the highly tunable compositi on and uniform distribution of metal cations in the brucite-like layers, as well as the facile exchangeability of intercalated anions, LDHs can be modified and functionalized to form various nanostructures/composites through versatile processes such as anion intercalation and exfoliation, decoration of nanoparticles, selfassembly with other two-dimensional (2D) materials, and controlled growth on conductive supports (e.g., nanowire arrays, nano tubes, 3D foams). In this article, we briefly review the recent advances on both the LDH nano structures and functionalized composites toward the applications in energy conversion, especially for water oxidation.

Effects of Phosphorus Application in Different Soil Layers on Root Growth, Yield, and Water-Use Efficiency of Winter Wheat Grown Under Semi-Arid Conditions

Deep phosphorus application can be a usefull measure to improve crops＇ performance in semi-arid regions, but more knowledge of both its general effects and effects on specific crops is required to optimize treatments. Thus, the aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of phosphorus（P） application at different soil layers on root growth, grain yield, and water-use efficiency（WUE） of winter wheat grown on the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China and to explore the relationship between root distribution and grain yield. The experiment consisted of four P treatments in a randomized complete block design with three replicates and two cultivars： one drought-sensitive（Xiaoyan 22, XY22） and one drought-tolerant（Changhan 58, CH58）. The four P treatments were no P（control, CK）, surface P（SP）, deep P（DP）, and deep-band P application（DBP）. CH58 produced larger and deeper root systems, and had higher grain yields and WUE, under the deep P treatments（DP and DBP） than under SP, clearly showing that deep P placement had beneficial effects on the drought-tolerant cultivar. In contrast, the grain yield and root growth of XY22 did not differ between DP or DBP and SP treatments. Further, root dry weight（RW） and root length（RL） in deep soil layer（30-100 cm） were closely positively correlated with grain yield and WUE of CH58（but not XY22）, highlighting the connections between a well-developed subsoil root system and both high grain yield and WUE for the drought-tolerant cultivar. WUE correlated strongly with grain yield for both cultivars（r=0.94, P〈0.001）. In conclusion, deep application of P fertilizer is a practical and feasible means of increasing grain yield and WUE of rainfed winter wheat in semi-arid regions, by promoting deep root development of drought-tolerant cultivars.

Exploring Soil Layers and Water Tables with Ground-Penetrating Radar

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has been used predominantly for environments with low electrical conductivity like freshwater aquifers, glaciers, or dry sandy soils. The objective of the present study was to explore its application for mapping in subsurface agricultural soils to a depth of several meters. For a loamy sand and a clayey site on the North China Plain, clay inclusions in the sand were detected; the thickness, inclination, and continuity of the confining clay and silt layers was assessed; and a local water table was mapped. Direct sampling (soil coring and profiling) in the top meter and independent measurement of the water table were utilized to confirm the findings. Also, effective estimates of the dielectric number for the site with the dielectric number of moist clayey soils depending strongly on frequency were obtained. Thus, important properties of soils, like the arrangement and type of layers and in particular their continuity and inclination, could be explored with moderate efforts for rather large areas to help find optimal locations for the time-consuming and expensive measurements which would be necessary to detail a model of the subsurface.

Layered double hydroxide(LDH)-based materials:A mini-review on strategies to improve the performance for photocatalytic water splitting

The high energy demand we currently face in society and the subsequent large consumption of fossil fuels cause its depletion and increase the pollution levels.The quest for the production of clean energy from renewable and sustainable sources remains open.The conversion of solar energy into hydrogen via the water-splitting process,assisted by pho tores pons ive semiconductor catalysts,is one of the most promising technologies.Significant progress has been made on water splitting in the past few years and a variety of photocatalysts active not only under ultra-violet(UV) light but especially with the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum have been developed.Layered double hydroxides(LDH)-based materials have emerged as a promising class of nanomaterials for solar energy applications owing to their unique layered structure,compositional flexibility,tunable bandgaps,ease of synthesis and low manufacturing costs.This review covers the most recent research dedicated to LDH materials for photocatalytic water-splitting applications and encompasses a range of synthetic strategies and post-modifications used to enhance their performance.Moreover,we provide a thorough discussion of the experimental conditions crucial to obtaining improved photoactivity and highlight the impact of some specific parameters,namely,catalysts loading,cocatalysts,sacrificial agents,and irradiation sources.This review provides the necessary tools to select the election technique for adequately enhancing the photoactivity of LDH and modified LDH-based materials and concludes with a critical summary that outlines further research directions.

Effect of slope gradient on the subsurface water flow velocity of sand layer profile

Subsurface water flow velocity influences the hydrodynamic characteristics of soil seepage and the interaction between subsurface water flow and surface runoff during soil erosion and sediment transport.A visualized method and equipment was adopted in this study to observe the subsurface water flow.Quartz sand was used as the test material of subsurface water flow and fluorescent dye was used as the indicator for tracing subsurface water flow.Water was supplied at the same flow discharge to the three parts at the bottom of the test flume,and the subsurface water flow were determined with four slope gradients(4°,8°,10°,and 12°).The results showed that the seepage velocity gradually increased with increasing slope gradient.The pore water velocity at different depths of sand layer profile increased with increasing slope gradient,whereas the thickness of the flow front gradually decreased.For the same slope gradient,the pore water velocity in the lower layer was the largest,whereas the thickness of the flow front was the smallest.Comparative analysis of the relationship between seepage velocity and pore water velocity at different depths of sand layer profile showed that the maximum relative difference between the measured pore water velocity and the computational pore water velocity at different depths of sand profile in the experiment was 4.38%.Thus,the test method for measuring the subsurface water flow velocity of sand layer profile adopted in this study was effective and feasible.The development of this experiment and the exploration of research methods would lay a good test foundation for future studies on the variation law of subsurface water flow velocity and the determination of flow velocity in purple soils,thus contributing to the improvement of the hydrodynamic mechanism of purple soils.

Simulation of Water-Resistance of a Clay Layer During Mining:Analysis of a Safe Water Head

Given previous research and prototypical geological conditions of a mining workface,we simulated fis-sure development in clay layers at the bottom of Quaternary strata and above bedrock,sand and water inrush during mining by model experiments. The results show that V-shaped fissures usually occur in the bottom clay layer at the front top of the active face and that the position of these fissures changes periodically with ground pressure intervals. These fissures occur exactly in the area where the horizontal strain is concentrated. The results also demonstrate that the permeability coefficient of the cracked clay decreases while fissures tend to close. The permeability of the cracked bottom clay layer increases rapidly after a turning point in the permeability coefficient-water head curve (K-H curve) under a certain vertical load. Under static water pressure,the permeability coefficient of cracked clay decreases when load increases. A turning point in the K-H curve showed up and can be seen as a cutoff point to de-cide water inrush under a certain load level. Under an instantaneous water head,the greatest ability of the cracked clay to avoid drastic water inflow is a little higher than that under static conditions.

2D materials modulating layered double hydroxides for electrocatalytic water splitting

Exploring highly efficient electrochemical water splitting catalysts has recently attracted extensive research interest from both fundamental researches and practical applications.Transition metal‐based layered double hydroxides(LDHs)have been proved to be one of the most efficient materials for oxygen evolution reaction(OER),however,still suffered from low conductivity and sluggish kinetics for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER),which largely inhibited the overall water splitting efficiency.To address this dilemma,enormous approaches including doping regulation,intercalation tuning and defect engineering are therefore rationally designed and developed.Herein,we focus on the recent exciting progress of LDHs hybridization with other two‐dimensional(2D)materials for water splitting reactions,not barely for enhancing OER efficiency but also for boosting HER activity.Particularly,the structural features,morphologies,charge transfer and synergistic effects for the heterostructure/heterointerface that influence the electrocatalytic performance are discussed in details.The hybrid 2D building blocks not only serve as additional conductivity and structural supported but also promote electron transfer at the interfaces and further enhance the electrocatalytic performance.The construction and application of the nanohybrid materials will guide a new direction in developing multifunctional materials based on LDHs,which will contribute to energy conversion and storage.

Layer regrouping for water-flooded commingled reservoirs at a high water-cut stage

Layer regrouping is to divide all the layers into several sets of production series according to the physical properties and recovery percent of layers at high water-cut stage, which is an important technique to improve oil recovery for high water-cut multilayered reservoirs. Dif- ferent regroup scenarios may lead to different production performances. Based on unstable oil-water flow theory, a multilayer commingled reservoir simulator is established by modifying the production split method. Taking into account the differences of layer properties, including per- meability, oil viscosity, and remaining oil saturation, the pseudo flow resistance contrast is proposed to serve as a characteristic index of layer regrouping for high water-cut multilayered reservoirs. The production indices of multi- layered reservoirs with different pseudo flow resistances are predicted with the established model in which the data are taken from the Shengtuo Oilfield. Simulation results show that the pseudo flow resistance contrast should be less than 4 when the layer regrouping is implemented. The K-means clustering method, which is based on the objec- tive function, is used to automatically carry out the layer regrouping process according to pseudo flow resistances. The research result is applied to the IV-VI sand groups of the second member of the Shahejie Formation in the Shengtuo Oilfield, a favorable development performance is obtained, and the oil recovery is enhanced by 6.08 %.

NiFe layered double-hydroxide nanoparticles for efficiently enhancing performance of BiVO_4 photoanode in photoelectrochemical water splitting

A bismuth vanadate(BiVO4)photoanode with a cocatalyst consisting of NiFe layered double‐hydroxide(NiFe‐LDH)nanoparticles was fabricated for photoelectrochemical(PEC)water splitting.NiFe‐LDH nanoparticles,which can improve light‐absorption capacities and facilitate efficient hole transfer to the surface,were deposited on the surface of the BiVO4 photoanode by a hydrothermal method.All the samples were characterized using X‐ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy,and diffuse‐reflectance spectroscopy.Linear sweep voltammetry and current‐time plots were used to investigate the PEC activity.The photocurrent response of NiFe‐LDH/BiVO4 at 1.23 V vs the reversible hydrogen electrode was higher than those of Ni(OH)2/BiVO4,Fe(OH)2/BiVO4 and pure BiVO4 electrodes under visible‐light illumination.NiFe‐LDH/BiVO4 also gave a superior PEC hydrogen evolution performance.Furthermore,the stability of the NiFe‐LDH/BiVO4 photoanode was excellent compared with that of the bare BiVO4 photoanode,and offers a novel method for solar‐assisted water splitting.

Unravelling the essential difference between TiO_(x) and AlO_(x) interface layers on Ta_(3)N_(5) photoanode for photoelectrochemical water oxidation

Tantalum nitride(Ta_(3)N_(5))is a very promising photoanode material due to its narrow band gap(2.1 eV)and suitable band alignment for solar water splitting.However,it suffers from severe photocorrosion during water oxidation.In this work,it was found that surface passivation by AlO_(x) and TiO_(x) layers results in dramatically different PEC performance of Ta_(3)N_(5) photoanode for water oxidation.The mechanism study indicates that the negative charges on AlO_(x) can generate additional field to promote separation of photogenerated charges,while the positive charges on TiO_(x) layer show the opposite effect.As a result,the Ta_(3)N_(5) based photoanode modified with AlO_(x) layer gives a high photocurrent of 12.5 mA cm^(-2) for 24 h at 1.23 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE).Dynamic analysis implies that the hole extraction and transfer are significantly improved by the modification with the AlO_(x) layer.This work reveals the importance of the charges on surface passivation layer in interface engineering of photoelectrodes.

Zwitterionic monolayer grafted ceramic membrane with an antifouling performance for the efficient oil-water separation

Enormous demands on the separation of oil/water(O/W)emulsions in various industries,such as petrochemical,food and pharmaceutical industries,are looking for high performance and energy-efficient separation methods.Ceramic membranes have been used to deal with O/W emulsions,for its outstanding characteristics of easy-operation,high-flux,and long-term stability.However,membrane fouling is still a challenge in the industrial application of ceramic membranes.Herein,antifouling ceramic membranes were fabricated by grafting zwitterions on the membrane surface via an environment-friendly two-step grafting method,which improves the antifouling property and permeability.Successful grafting of such zwitterion on the ceramic surface was assessed by the combination of FTIR and XPS characterization.More importantly,the hydration can be formed by electrostatic interactions layer on the modified membrane,which was confirmed by TGA characterization.The antifouling performance of prepared zwitterionic ceramic membranes in the separation of O/W emulsions was systematically tested.The results suggested that zwitterion can significantly improve the flux of ceramic ultrafiltration membrane,and can also improve antifouling property dramatically by reducing the irreversible fouling in the separation of O/W emulsions.Therefore,zwitterionic ceramic membranes hold promising potentials as an antifouling,highly efficient and green method in the practical purification of the O/W emulsions.